What does red-to-magic nutmeg have to do with the age of nutmeg?

Maybe the first time you saw a picture of nutmeg hanging on a tree, it came from the "du Mu you rascal" stalk. However, this is an own incident, because someone attached a picture of nutmeg to "nutmeg" in "the Age of Nutmeg". The cardamom here comes from du Mu's poem "like a cardamom flower budding at the beginning of February". In fact, it refers to the plant of the genus Zingiberaceae. The poet describes the 12-or 13-year-old girl as a delicate white bud on the tip of cardamom.

At first, the name "cardamom" was exclusive to alpinia plants such as Alpinia hainanensis and Alpinia zerumbet, and later other spice plants of the ginger family were also collectively referred to as "cardamom", such as Amomum testaceum and Elettaria cardamomum.

Three spices called "cardamom" belong to different genera. Picture: Yu Tianyi

Finally, in the flora of China, the name "cardamom" is given to the genus Amomum where cardamom and white cardamom are located. The name nutmeg also comes from "nutmeg", probably because nutmeg tastes similar to nutmeg.

The humble floret of nutmeg. Picture: Yu Tianyi

Red "talons" is breathtaking.

The nutmeg family in which nutmeg belongs is a family distributed almost entirely in the tropics, and there are few species in China.

Many genera of the nutmeg family have a peculiar aril structure. When the fruit is ripe, the pericarp cracks, revealing the brightly colored aril, replacing the fruit to attract birds to eat. Birds can digest aril, but it is difficult to digest hard seeds, which nutmeg plants use to spread seeds far away.

Nutmeg, no fully ripe fruit. Picture: Yu Tianyi

The cracked fruit of nutmeg. Picture: W.A. Djatmiko / wikimedia

In Horsfieldia and Knema, the aril completely wraps the seed, while the nutmeg has a very special red torn aril that looks like a claw clinging to the kernel; if the claw is removed, the gully it leaves in the seed can be seen.

The red aril of nutmeg wraps the seeds. Picture: AntanO / wikim

One plant, two spices.

The cracked nutmeg fruit has a great visual impact, the red "claws" is impressive, and the nutmeg fruit does have an irresistible magic, which inadvertently promotes the process of human history.

European traditional spices are mainly a variety of vanilla, and most of the vanilla aroma is easy to volatilize, after a long time pickling or cooking, many vanilla can not maintain a strong aroma. So in Europe, nutmeg from tropical Asia is precious compared to several other spices, such as pepper.

After grinding, the aroma of nutmeg will be further released. Picture: Jorge Barrios / wikimedia

However, Asian spices such as nutmeg were monopolized by Arabs at that time, forcing Europeans to develop new routes, which was the beginning of the great navigation era that brought the world together. The only origin of this species is Maluku (now Indonesia), so it is also known as the "Spice Islands". For more about the significance of nutmeg to human history, you can see this article written by teacher Gu Yourong two years ago.

There are two parts of nutmeg fruit that can be made into spices. When the seeds are dried, they are called nutmeg, while the aril like "talons" is called mace when dried. The aril needs to be dried for about 10 to 14 days, when the bright red gradually turns orange or brown, while the seeds last much longer than the aril, which takes six to eight weeks.

Bright red fresh aril and sun-dried aril. Picture: Atudu & Jastrow / wikimedia

The taste of nutmeg seeds (nutmeg) is similar to that of turpentine and camphor trees, but softer. When the seed is cut open, you can see a very beautiful pattern, which is somewhat similar to the seed of betel nut. The taste of dried aril (mace) is similar to that of nutmeg. Nutmeg tastes sweeter and mace tastes lighter. They can be used as a whole, but it is more common to grind them into powder and add them to desserts or dishes.

The pattern similar to betel nut can be seen in the cut nutmeg seeds. Picture: Yu Tianyi

Nutmeg is a very commonly used spice in Southeast Asia. Although China introduced nutmeg from Southeast Asia a long time ago, it has not been paid attention to. It is only a common stew, one of the "thirteen fragrances". When Europeans brought nutmeg to the West, nutmeg was used not only to pickle meat, but also to make strange desserts, such as rice pudding (rice pudding).

Rice pudding with cream and spices, Calendar Niang, who has just pulled out her wisdom teeth, is not blessed. Picture: sprinklesomesugar.com

That touch of red is the most rare.

There are few nutmeg plants in China, only Myristica yunnanensis in southern Yunnan and Myristica ceylanicavar.cagayanensis and Myristica ellipticavar.simiarum in Orchid Island in Taiwan.

The English version of Chinese Flora (Flora of China) believes that both Orchid Island nutmeg and red head nutmeg are alien species brought to Orchid Island by human beings from the Philippines. The book "Suanawan-the National Plant of Orchid Island enlightenment" records that Orchid Island nutmeg is native to Orchid Island and Green Island. Orchid Island nutmeg is called Gago, which means "lamp oil for ignition." because its seeds are rich in oil, they are used to extract oil, light lamps and make dyes.

Orchid Island nutmeg, which is stronger than nutmeg. Picture: Yu Tianyi

Nutmeg plants blossom and bear fruit most of the time, but the fruit has a concentrated ripening period, and the bright red can not be seen all the year round. In winter, I went to Hainan Xinglong South Medicinal Garden (Xinglong Tropical Medicinal Botanical Garden) and saw a lot of nutmeg, but not a single cracked fruit.

The small male flower of nutmeg in Orchid Island. Picture: Yu Tianyi

I went to Taiwan twice in summer to visit nutmeg in Orchid Island, but I never had a chance to see the cracked fruit. For the third time, I finally saw the bright aril of nutmeg in Orchid Island in May.

When the fruit is just cracked, the aril of nutmeg in Orchid Island shows the brightest red; then the aril and fruit will fall, and the aril and nutmeg will gradually lose their bright color after landing. The difference is that the aril of nutmeg in Orchid Island will turn dark red.

On the right side is the newly fallen nutmeg of Lanyu after cracking, and on the left it can be seen that the aril becomes dim after falling for some time. Picture: Yu Tianyi

The seeds of nutmeg plants are toxic to animals, which can prevent animals from eating their seeds when eating the aril.

When used as a spice, the kernels of nutmeg can be said to be almost non-toxic because of the small dose. Nutmeg ether (myristicin) and elemene (elemicin) in seeds have anesthetic and hallucinogenic effects, and may be poisoned if eaten in large doses.

This is the 174th article in the fourth year of the species calendar, from @ Yu Tianyi, author of the species calendar.

Recommended by the calendar Niangji

Are your succulent plants lethargic on a hot summer day?

Even rotten, dry and grow worms?

Want to know if your "heart" can be saved.

Let's take a look at today's second article.

Calendar Niang today's avatar

The big leaves of the nutmeg family are blown by the wind