From a culinary point of view, spices and herbs have unique flavors, which are often a symbol of a specific food culture, and a different combination shows a completely different exotic taste.
From a historical point of view, one of the reasons why European countries looked east for new routes was to find spices, because tropical Asia is particularly rich in spice plants, as spices were introduced to Europe and regarded as treasures, maritime powers also began to compete for the exclusive sale of various spices, of which nutmeg and cloves are one of the sources of all this. Before telling this story, let's get to know nutmeg, dried nutmeg skin and cloves.
What exactly is nutmeg?
The fruit of tropical Asian tree nutmeg is commonly known as nutmeg, and the inside of the fruit that jumps open after ripening can be made into two spices: hard brown-black fruit, which is dried and ground with a planer; As well as the bright red reticulated pseudoseed coat wrapped in the outer layer of the fruit, which is ground into powder after drying, it is the so-called dried nutmeg skin. The common nutmeg tree is native to Indonesia's Banda Islands, but has been cultivated in Southeast Asia for centuries, as well as in New Guinea, India and other places. But we have to pay tribute to Indonesians, because even the seventeenth-century botanist Hendrik van Rheede recorded that nutmeg in India was introduced by Indonesian traders.
Flavor characteristics of nutmeg and dried nutmeg skin
In terms of cooking, dried nutmeg skin and fruit are mostly used interchangeably, and the flavor difference between the two spices is very subtle: the dried nutmeg skin is slightly milder, and the nutmeg is sweeter. According to Food & Cooking: Vegetables, Fruits, Spices, Grains, both have hints of light, rosin, floral and citrus, and most importantly, the woody, warm and slightly peppery aroma of myristicin. In addition, the dried skin of nutmeg will dye the dish with a light saffron orange, and the nutmeg will have a coffee color, but it has little effect on the color of the dish.
Since the two spices will lose their taste when heated for too long, they are usually grated and sprinkled at the last minute. Among them, nutmeg is mostly used in desserts and dishes based on whipped cream, milk and eggs; Dried nutmeg skin is mainly used in meat dishes, pickled foods and tomato sauce.
Nutmeg fruit and dried skin vs. international cuisine
First of all, nutmeg is an important player in Penang cuisine in Malaysia and is widely loved in both Singapore and Malaysia, such as the famous Malay ice shaved ais kacang nutmeg, whether salty or dessert will use fruit and dried skin, is the main source of flavor in Southeast Asian cuisine.
In addition, because of the Dutch East India Company, this spice also spread to Europe, whether it was paired with potatoes or peas, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and other vegetables. In addition, nutmeg is also a key ingredient in spiced mulled wine, hot cider, Christmas eggnog, and the classic Scottish dish haggis, which is also an important ingredient in the traditional French white sauce. In Italy, it appears in tortellini, and Americans like to use it in pumpkin pie or directly grated and sprinkled on toasted buttersquash.
What is cloves?
Just by looking at the appearance, it is really difficult to imagine that it is a flower, and the clove is the unripe bud of the peach wood of the myrtle family, which is harvested and dried when the bud turns red. If you look closely, you will see that it really looks like a small bud that has not yet bloomed. Cloves are used in many parts of the world and are often used to flavor meat dishes, and Europeans are mainly used in desserts. This spice has a strong smell and a little effect is enough. The eugenol contained in it has a unique aroma, which is both sweet and has strong penetrating power. However, you will never want to eat cloves directly, not because they are hard and the taste is too strong when chewed directly. Cloves are an excellent condiment for brine or marinade, and can also be wrapped in gauze with other herbs and spices to add flavor when cooking.
The history of cloves and nutmeg: from east to west
Cloves are spices with no geographical restrictions, which are used from the East to the West, and the application range is not only for dishes, but also for medical purposes. How did this spice spread from its native Indonesia to the rest of the world?
Often compared to flavored cigarettes in Indonesia, cloves blend tobacco with ground cloves and emit aromatic smoke when lit. In addition, cloves can also be used to repel ants, or as an anesthetic, and the essential oil extracted from it can be applied to the cavities to relieve pain. Cloves are also commonly found in Chinese medicine, and according to historical records, the Han Dynasty people would chew them directly, as if the ancient version of the breath was fresh and containing tablets. In addition, traces of cloves have also been found in Syrian terracotta pots dating from 1721 BC, proving that there was already relevant trade at that time. Cloves are native to the Spice Islands (present-day Moluccas, Indonesia) and have spread around the world, and there are many legends about them. In the story of the Sinbad navigator in the famous book "Heavenly Nights", the background of the protagonist is the lilac trader, who brought it from India to Arabia. In addition, it is also said that in 1770, the Frenchman named Poivre stole the seedlings of the world's oldest four-hundred-year-old tree in the Moluccas, and then introduced cloves to France and Zanzibar, and later became the world's largest spice manufacturer.
In the seventeenth century, nutmeg and cloves, also from Indonesia, became coveted targets by European maritime powers, and the Dutch East India Company tried to monopolize the spice trade and successfully monopolized nutmeg, according to author Michael Krondl in his book The Taste of Conquest: The Rise and Fall of Three Great Cities of Spice. Unlike nutmeg and its dried skin, which were only grown in the Bandas Islands at the time, the entire Spice Islands were planted with cloves, and it is naturally unlikely that they will have a monopoly. In this way, the Netherlands dominated until the nineteenth century, until nutmeg was successfully cultivated in the Caribbean.