To check the quality of a whole nutmeg, poke it with a needle: if you can pierce it slightly, the nutmeg is of good quality. A drop of oil will come out, forming a thin skin.

Whole nutmegs are sold dried and limed. It is preferable to buy whole nutmeg, because to get the full flavour of nutmeg it should be grated as needed, instead of being purchased already ground. Just a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg will flavour a whole dish.

Mace is available in small pieces or in ground form. It is impossible to grate the pieces but they can be ground in a coffee grinder or a mortar.

In an airtight container

Grated

Mace is more fragrant and has a more refined flavour than nutmeg. Too often they are used interchangeably, but to give each one its proper place in the kitchen, use nutmeg with sweet dishes such as custards, pastries, apples and other fruits; and mace with savoury dishes such as some curries, sausages, vegetable purées, eggs, spinach, and of course, traditional béchamel sauce.

A pinch added to a hot or cold drink will give off an incomparable aroma. Our grandmothers were crazy about melissa water, a nutmeg-based drink, while more than one Creole got tipsy on punch made from cinchona and nutmeg.

Four-Spice Blend
Nutmeg is also one of the spices that make up the mixture called quatre épices (four spices) which also includes pepper, ginger and cloves.

Asia
In asian countries where the nutmeg tree is grown, the flesh of the fruit is boiled to make jams and jellies.

India (jaiphal)
Nutmeg is used in curries and sweet dishes. Always used in powdered form, it is never heated - as is done with many spices in the west - but added over the course of cooking.

United Kingdom
In the 18th century, the author of the Country Housewife stated that nothing equals a nutmeg-flavoured liqueur in bringing out the character of the famous Stilton cheese.

Québec / Canada
It is used to enhance meatballs and meat pied