Mace, For Seasoning, Form : Whole

Mace doesn't get much love anymore, which is a big shame. In the golden age of the spice trade, mace strode across the skin of the world just like its cousin nutmeg. But it seems the modern age only has room for one magical sweet spice that seems to go with everything, and mace lost. Let's fix that.

But first, some plant biology. Nutmeg is actually a fruit with a hard stone at its center, like peaches, plums, and cashews. That stone (a seed, really) is what we use as nutmeg. Surrounding the seed is a bright red alien webbing, which dries into what we call mace in units called blades. As you'd expect, the two spices have similar flavors. But mace is a whole different game, as worthy of a culinary adventure as nutmeg, if not more so.