Nutmeg is a spice derived from the seed of the fruit of the evergreen tree Myristica fragrans. Long used in European cooking, nutmeg originally comes from the Moluccan “spice island” of Banda, part of Indonesia. International trade brought nutmeg to Europe as early as the 1st century ad, but the spice was rare and exceedingly expensive in Europe until the end of the 18th century. The Dutch waged a bloody campaign on Banda in 1621, seizing the island for the primary purpose of controlling nutmeg production. About 1770, French botanist Pierre Poivre established nutmeg plantings on Mauritius and the Dutch monopoly ended. The British East India Company soon spread plantations throughout the tropical areas where they traded. Today, most nutmeg is grown in Indonesia on the island of Granada in the Caribbean.

The seed of the nutmeg fruit is a marble-size ovoid actually comprising two spices—the seed itself, which is the nutmeg spice, and the seed’s lacy bright-red outer covering, which is removed and becomes the sweet spice called mace. The essential oils of nutmeg are pungent and complex, containing camphenes, terpenols, the root beer–like safrole, gerianol (also a hop essential oil constituent), and other aromatic compounds. Although nutmeg is often sold as a ground powder, the essential oils are quickly oxidized after grinding, and therefore nutmeg is best when freshly grated. It can be added to wort in the kettle, usually at the very end of the boil, and is a popular spice in pumpkin ales and holiday beers. Nutmeg is best used sparingly; it is powerfully aromatic, with freshly grated nutmeg showing the greatest potency and complexity of flavor. When used in great enough quantities, nutmeg becomes hallucinogenic and poisonous, although such quantities are never approached in normal food or beer uses.