Whole flower mace

Also called mace or "nutmeg flower", mace in cooking is a prized spice, to be better understood to create increasingly refined aromatic suggestions. It spreads its characteristic scent intensely on many different dishes, both sweet and savoury. It is obtained from the outermost part of the nutmeg seed, the covering called aril. It appears as a fleshy membrane that envelops the seed and, in fact, can look like a peel. Mace is also related to nutmeg in its taste properties, but is more subtle, warm and refined. It introduces nuances of flavour and complex, floral and sweet aromas. However, it is not evanescent, it gives dishes a clear profile with notes that can evoke black pepper and pine. The whole mace flower version is excellent for preserving the power of the essential oils it contains, with benefits of purity at an aromatic level when it is ground fresh or added whole to recipes. In addition, mace adds a touch of color to foods thanks to its bright tone, which after drying becomes yellow-orange and resembles saffron.

Mace: properties and benefits

It is known as a spice with excellent digestive properties, useful for regulating gastrointestinal motility and counteracting flatulence, through the expulsion of intestinal gas. It aids digestion through the infusion of mace bark in boiling water, with a carminative and anti-swelling action. It has been historically used to combat diarrhea, and in Ayurvedic medicine it is known to combat poor digestion and nausea. Furthermore, it is known for the well-being of the mucous membranes and was used in infusions to relieve coughs, particularly in the form of essential oil.
Its qualities include the ability to provide beneficial nutrients in cases of exhaustion and psychophysical fatigue. It has balancing functions in aromatherapy, proving useful for good mood, and its essential oil is very well known in perfumery. Using the essential oil of mace, liqueurs such as nocino are created. In addition, mace has antioxidant properties, contains active ingredients including phenols and various aromatic compounds (myristicin, safrole, pinene and sabinene). Its peels also provide various nutritional benefits, since they are rich in compounds such as fiber, proteins and many mineral salts (iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, copper, zinc and manganese). Mace also makes available some B vitamins, beta-carotene, vitamins C and E.
Mace is generally considered safe as a spice, if the recommended doses are respected. In case of excessive intake, side effects such as nausea, stomach pain and diarrhea, increased sweating, palpitations and agitation are possible.

How to use whole mace in cooking

The “nutmeg flower” is native to the Moluccas, in Indonesia and close to the Indian subcontinent, and for this reason the spice is very common in local cuisine. Also widely used in Chinese cuisine, mace can be used whole to slowly release its aroma in medium-cooked recipes. Over long periods of time, mace is delicate and can become bitter, so it is best to use it as a finishing touch (before serving) or halfway through cooking. Excellent when incorporated into doughs that cook at low temperatures. Alternatively, mace can be ground on the spot with a practical spice grinder or other tools, which chop it easily.
Savory recipes: even a small piece of whole mace is enough to flavor basmati rice, risottos, pasta dishes, soups. Delicious in chicken broth or in pumpkin and carrot dishes. Excellent on cheeses and sweet potatoes, on cream and to flavor homemade preserves and pickles.
Meat: it is present in various land recipes as a seasoning for dishes based on lamb, veal, pork, chicken skewers and braised meats. It is used in Swedish meatballs and popular in Northern Europe, where mace is also used in English pork pie. In Italy it is used in recipes for stewed meat and in rabbit in salmì (red wine flavored with mace and other spices); it can be added to stews and white fish second courses, carefully evaluating its flavor effect.
Sweet recipes: mace can be dusted in place of nutmeg on desserts, biscuits and baked goods. It is a very popular spice on desserts such as berry pies, apple pie, carrot pie, pumpkin pie or rhubarb pie. Excellent on vanilla ice cream to give a greater complexity of flavor, mace is dusted on mango, fresh or dried fruit, pudding and even cappuccino.
Indian cuisine: in India mace is widely used in many curry and chutney recipes, or recipes such as korma, pione-act in which the meats are marinated and cooked in spices. In the form of whole mace, it is toasted in a dry pan, together with cardamom, cloves and black pepper. The spices are then pulverized with a pestle, adding garlic, ginger and turmeric to form a paste useful for flavouring.
Infusion: to aid proper digestion, you can prepare a herbal tea using a teaspoon of whole mace chopped into small pieces. Leave in boiling water for about 10 minutes, in the filter, and then drink.
Drinks: it is used to create nocino liqueur and, in small pieces, mace is also used in spicy and exotic cocktails and in mulled wine. Mace flavours syrups for ice cream and fruit salads.
Mixes: it is an ingredient in spice mixes such as curry, garam masala and tandoori. It can be used with other barbecue spices, in homemade marinades. Mace pairs well with cloves, pepper and allspice; it should be dosed wisely, for its subtle taste, with cumin, ginger, vanilla, saffron, cinnamon, coriander and fennel.
Sauces: Mace can flavor sauces and gravies such as mustard or béchamel, and thanks to its delicate taste it is also excellent in honey and jams to pair with cheese. Mace is also used to colour fresh pasta dough.

Spiced Beef in Single Portions

Ingredients 300g cooked beef, trimmed of fat (great for reusing leftover roast meat) - 200g butter - 4 shallots, finely chopped - 2 cloves garlic, crushed - 1 teaspoon freshly ground whole mace - 1 star anise - 1 pinch black pepper - 2 tablespoons chopped thyme leaves - 2 small bay leaves To serve: wholemeal bread, toasted - 100g gherkins - 4 ceramic ramekins (single-portion containers)

Method Put the butter in a saucepan and add the shallots, garlic, mace, star anise, black pepper, thyme, one of the bay leaves. Heat over medium heat until the butter has melted and set aside for 2-3 minutes. Strain the melted butter over a bowl, reserving the shallots.

Put the beef in a blender (or food processor) along with most of the seasoned butter, and add a tablespoon of the strained shallots. Blend everything until smooth, then pour everything into ceramic ramekins, add a bay leaf and cover with the remaining butter.

Serve the stewed beef with toast and gherkins.

Origins and History of Cultivation

Mace (also called mace or nutmeg flower) is a culinary spice, native to the Moluccas Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

As an aromatic spice, the history of mace is very ancient. Already in the 6th century, in China, it was used mainly as a medicine for its digestive properties. It was obtained from the fleshy coating of the nutmeg seed, separated and left to dry in the sun for 1-2 days. It was used fresh as a spice in cooking, but drying was often prolonged and completed to give mace a pronounced odor and increase its benefits. To amplify the scent, it was closed in wooden boxes for three or four months, where it took on a filamentous appearance.

It was imported from Indonesia to Europe by the Arabs and, given its mysterious origins, over time it was mistakenly called "nutmeg flower". It was used whole or chopped, and was successful in kitchens that could afford it. Mace was the favorite spice of Charles V's head chef to flavor Renaissance recipes for timbales, pâtés, cakes and focaccias. It paired well with pepper, and over time it became an increasingly prized and sought-after spice. In the seventeenth century it was spread even more intensively by the Dutch and later cultivated elsewhere by the English – today the plant is also found in the West Indies.

In the eighteenth century it had become ten times more expensive and valuable than nutmeg, and an anecdote tells of a nobleman who went crazy for this spice. In exchange for obtaining the fabulous "mace trees", he had all the nutmeg plants in his lands cut down, and delivered a fortune in money to a merchant who had promised them to him. In the East it is still used today for its beneficial properties, in particular through infusion. A few fragments of mace, soaked in water, are considered the natural remedy for fighting nausea, aiding digestion and solving problems.lemi of irritated mucous membranes in colds.

It can be found on the market both as whole dehydrated mace (called nutmeg flower), or reduced to small pieces or powder.

Plant and flowers

Myristica fragrans is the tropical evergreen tree from which mace derives, and is part of the Myristicaceae family. The plant can reach a height of 20 meters, native to the Moluccas Islands, also known as the Spice Islands, in Indonesia and is also cultivated in the West Indies. Two different spices derive from this tree, both the classic nutmeg from the seed, and mace from the protective coating of the seed itself - it derives from the fleshy arils that surround the brown seeds, and emerge when the fruit is fully ripe and splits in two.