Nutmeg: energy value and characteristics of the components that make up its composition, healing effect and harm when the spice is abused. What dishes are spiced up? Remember! It is useful to consume nutmeg per day in an amount not exceeding 1 g.
Harm and contraindications to nutmeg
As already noted, only a small serving of nutmeg will benefit the body. Consuming a significant amount of this spice leads to hallucinations or drug intoxication, skin rashes, heart pains and even death can also occur.
For some diseases, this spice with a specific composition can not be used categorically. Who should not eat nutmeg:
- Pregnant and lactating women … It has already been mentioned that the use of nutmeg increases the contraction of the uterus, and during pregnancy this threatens a miscarriage or abnormal development of the fetus. Also, it is categorically impossible to add seasoning to the menu during lactation.
- Children under 7 years old … Condiments and spices should not be added to the diet of babies. Nutmeg is no exception.
- People with individual intolerance … If you are allergic to the components of nutmeg, you should stop consuming this spice.
Nutmeg recipes
Baking, cottage cheese and chocolate desserts, as well as soups, meat dishes, side dishes - this is not the whole list where this spice is one of the components. This spice also gives an unusual taste and aroma to drinks, namely compotes, wines, cocktails, mulled wine, punch.
Nutmeg recipes
- Apple donuts … You will need the following ingredients: flour (140 g), brown sugar (70 g), butter (30 g), 1 egg and 1 apple, as well as 115 ml of milk, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 0.75 teaspoon of baking powder for dough.0, 25 teaspoon of baking soda and 0.5 teaspoon of salt. These delicious donuts cannot be cooked without spices and seasonings, so take 0.5 teaspoon of cinnamon and 0.25 teaspoon each of ginger and nutmeg. First of all, mix the flour with baking powder, adding sugar, salt, soda and spices. Then beat the egg with a mixer or blender, pour in milk and lemon juice and mix everything thoroughly. Melt the butter and pour into the dough. We wash the apples, remove the skin from them, chop them finely - the filling is ready. We make donuts with apples and bake in an electric or gas oven, and also in a frying pan, as it is best.
- Cake … We need 3 cups of flour, 300 g of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 8 eggs, 1, 5 cups of cinnamon, a quarter cup of candied fruits, 0, 2 teaspoons of grated nutmeg. First, grind the butter, then add flour to it. Then, in a separate bowl, beat the yolks with sugar and add them to the dough. After that, little by little, we introduce all the other components. Mix everything well and send it to a greased form. The top of the cake can be decorated with whipped egg whites if desired. We bake in the oven.
- French sausages … Components: bacon - 400 g, pork - 2.4 kg, grated crackers - 3.5 cups, eggs - 24 pieces, cream - 3 cups. And we also need such seasonings: a teaspoon of cinnamon and grated nutmeg, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, sugar to taste. The first step is to weld lard in a large piece until it can be easily pierced with a straw. Let cool the bacon, cut into small pieces. Grind pork in the same way. In a large bowl, combine all the products and fill the intestines with the meat mass. We will cook over high heat for about 30 minutes.
- Semolina dumplings … First, bring to a boil 1 glass of milk with 0.5 tablespoon of butter, then add 0.5 cups of semolina, boil the cereal, salt (0.25 teaspoon of salt), add grated nutmeg and send the semolina to the oven for 15 minutes. After cooling, beat 4 yolks and pour into the dumpling dough. From it we will make balls that need to be boiled in brackish water. We take out the finished dumplings, put them in a tureen, fill them with broth. If desired, you can pour whipped proteins into it.
- French champignon sauce … Take 1 kg of mushrooms, 1 lemon, 4 egg whites, 250 g of cream, 100 g of cheese, 80 g of butter, salt and ground black pepper to taste, a pinch of grated nutmeg. First, prepare the mushrooms: rinse, sprinkle with lemon juice so as not to darken, cut and fry in oil. Then we work with a mixer: beat eggs, or rather proteins, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Put the champignons in a separate bowl, pour the sauce, rub the cheese on a grater on top - and in the hot oven. This dish goes well with meat or roast.
- Cold goose liver pate … First, you need to soak 12 goose liver in 3 glasses of milk for several hours. Then finely chop them and fry with 100 g of chopped fresh bacon. After cooling, you need to grind these fried products. Beat 4 eggs and add to the minced meat, put 1, 5 cups of grated stale rolls, 2 finely chopped truffles, squeezed juice of 1 lemon, a pinch of salt and grated nutmeg there. We smear the pan with oil, put our pate - and in the oven. Serve cold.
- Spicy hot chocolate … Remove the seeds from the vanilla pod by cutting it at the same time. In 600 ml of milk, put 7 cloves, 8 cardamom peas, 1 teaspoon of star anise, 0.5 teaspoon of coriander, a pinch of grated nutmeg, ground red pepper on the tip of a knife, 2 cinnamon sticks and half a glass of cane sugar and put on fire. We heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Dilute half a glass of cocoa powder in a small amount of milk. Pour it into the spicy mixture, bring to a boil. We remove from the fire. We insist 15 minutes. Pour hot chocolate into glasses through a sieve in order to drain all the spices.
- Rice porridge … First, rinse 1 cup of selected rice with cold water. Then we fill it with salty boiling water (we take as much boiling water as needed to cover the cereal), bring to a boil, pour the rice into a colander and rinse again with cold water. We put our porridge in a saucepan with fatty broth (the broth covers the rice) and cook until the cereal is boiled. Put a pinch of grated nutmeg and a spoonful of butter in it.
Interesting facts about nutmeg
This wonderful spice has been known to people for a long time. For many years it was considered a love seasoning. The plant was named "Aphrodite's tree".
In ancient Rome and Greece, nutmeg enjoyed tremendous, without exaggeration, popularity. It was added as a seasoning to food, taken to combat ailments of various kinds. In addition, it served as an air flavoring agent to impart a light scent.
In the 1st century, Pliny the Younger wrote about this spice in his notes. And after 1000 years, they began to actively use it.
The Dutch and Portuguese brought nutmeg to Europe after their colonial campaigns, around 1512. They say that on one of the islands they captured, nutmeg trees grew. Until about the 19th century, both Portugal and Holland sold this spice very expensively, being the only suppliers in the world.
Around this time, the inhabitants of India, Ceylon and Latin America began to grow nutmegs in order to obtain spices for use in cooking. Since then, you can buy it much cheaper.
But wild nutmeg is found on the islands of Java and Sumatra.
On Jeju Island, in warm South Korea, you can wander through the world's largest muscat forest, where about 3,000 trees grow. Since 1993 it has been a national natural monument. There is a version that on the site of this forest a long time ago, memorial rites were held and nutmegs were dropped to the ground, which later gave rise to seedlings.
The nutmeg bears fruit up to 3 times a year. A quality nut is obtained when the plant blooms for 3-4 months. When finished, it is round or oval, 2-3 cm long. The most fragrant and delicious are round nutmegs.
Watch the video about nutmeg:
So, nutmeg is one of the most sought-after spices in the world, which will not only give your dishes an extraordinary aroma and taste, but also benefit your health. Of course, it is better to buy this spice in kernels and rub it yourself when cooking. In this form, the nut retains its useful properties for a longer time. If you have to buy a seasoning powder, then you need to check the tightness of the packaging and the reliability of the manufacturer.
