Nutmeg is a tropical evergreen tree that reaches
about 65 feet tall. It native to Indonesia and cultivated widely in
India for its fruit. The bark is greyish black. The leaves are elliptic
or oblong-lanceolate and leathery. The flowers, borne in umbel-like
cymes, are creamy yellow and fragrant. The nutmeg fruit is similar in
appearance to an apricot. When fully mature it splits in two, exposing
a crimson-colored edible pulp surrounding a single seed, the nutmeg.
Dried nutmegs are grayish-brown ovals with furrowed surfaces about
1-1.5 inches long. The spice consisting of the seed has a
characteristic, pleasant fragrance and slightly warm taste; it is used
to flavor many kinds of baked goods, meats, sausages, sauces,
vegetables, and such beverages as eggnog.
Identification credit: Chinmay Tanshikar
Photographed at Tanshikar's Spice Farm, Netroli, Goa.
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The flower labeled Nutmeg is ...