Hands up who knows what this is?

It's not a walnut. It's not an apricot stone.


It's a nutmeg!


Maybe you knew that already - but with so many of us consuming our food in processed form, it's always good to remember what the ingredients look like "in the raw".


Nutmeg is an aromatic spice used as a flavouring for foods and beverages. It's usually bought in ground form, but whole nutmegs can also be purchased from supermarkets and groceries. Whole nutmegs are deliciously fragrant.

At The Flavour Co we use ground nutmeg in some of our smoothies and on coffees – but only in small amounts.

Nutmeg grater

Nutmeg graters are cheap and are easily obtained from department stores or large supermarkets, or on the internet.

It's not an alien spaceship - 
it's a Kitchen Craft Nutmeg Mill. 

Or you might prefer to use a nutmeg mill.








Nutmegs are native to the Moluccan Islands of Indonesia, and these days Grenada in the Caribbean is also a major producer of the spice. 

Nutmegs grow on trees as the kernels of a soft fruit. When ripe they are encased in a web-like pith called mace. This can also be ground and used as a spice.


Nutmeg is said to be both a stimulant and a muscle relaxant. It is used to treat eczema, acne, toothache, coughs, colds and insomnia.


Great in small sprinklings, nutmeg can have a hallucinogenic effect when taken in large amounts (ie more than one whole nutmeg in one serving). It can also produce symptoms of dizziness, stomach ache and even delirium if taken large doses.


Going by the many Youtube videos on this subject, imbibing large amounts of nutmeg at one sitting can give you the personality of a 106-year-old. 


Pregnant women are advised to avoid nutmeg, although small amounts are believed to be safe.


There's nothing like a sprinkling of nutmeg on a hot milky drink. 

Use the grater to sprinkle nutmeg onto
a coffee or hot chocolate, or into soup as a flavouring.

Nutmeg soy mocha... sheer bliss.