Nutmeg trees contain chemical substances that good for health. The trees can grow until 10 meters height, have a straight stem, woody, and dirty-white color. The leaves are singular, oval, pointed base and tip, and have a shiny green color.
The flowers are tassel shaped. The male flower has a round shape and yellow color. The seeds are small, have a dark-brown color, oval shape, and have a red seed coat.
Nutmeg History
Nutmeg is a native Indonesian plant from Banda Island (Maluku). Nutmeg fruit and seed is one of the famous spices around the world since 16 centuries. Spanish also Portuguese sailors and traders are the earliest one to find Maluku archipelago, which was followed by British and Dutch sailors. In the beginning, nutmeg deployment is very limited just in Maluku, this is causing nutmeg was monopolized easily by Vereenidge Oast-Indische Compaigne (VOC). But in 1772, Pierre Poivre, a France botanists was succeed to smuggle 3.000 cuttings of nutmeg, then plant them in Mauritius, furthermore nutmeg was deployed to Penang (Malaysia), India, Sri Lanka, until Grenada (Middle America), which is second biggest producer of nutmeg in the world after Indonesia.
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Types of Nutmeg In the international market, there are several types of nutmeg known, there are Myristica fragrans Houtt, Myristica argentea Ware, Myristica fattua Houtt, Myristica specioga Ware, Myristica sucedona BL, and Myristica malabarica Lam. The type of nutmeg that developed most is Myristica fragrans because of its economical value is higher than others. Next position is Myristica argentea than Myristica fattua. Myristica specioga, Myristica sucedona, and Myristica malabarica are the lowest in production and economical value. While the development of Myristica fragrans in Indonesia is relatively well, because of its natural habitat. (Source : http://kesehatan.kompas.com/read/2010/06/09/09285464/Pala..Rempah.Serba.Bisa) Hallucinogenic Feature in Nutmeg Myristicin component that contain inside nutmeg pulp has ability as insecticidal carrier and considered giving contribution to hallucinogenic feature which is causing hallucination (Dorsey, 2011). (Source : http://masenchipz.com/manfaat-lebih-dari-pala) The Taste of Nutmeg The taste from nutmeg is little spicy, sweetish, and giving a warm sensation to the body. To obtain fresh and strong nutmeg taste, choose oval-shaped and old-brown color nutmeg. Nutmeg fruits are consumed as sweet pickle, and its seeds are used as seasoning and herb for various diseases. Nutmeg origin is from Indonesia, especially produced from Banda Neira Island with best quality of nutmeg in the world. As seasoning, nutmeg is used for food flavoring and natural preservative. |
Myristica fragrans Houtt  |
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| Scientific Classification | ||||
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Kingdom Division Class Order Family Genus Species |
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Plantae Magnoliophyta Magnoliopsida Magnoliales Myristica fragrans Houtt |
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Indonesian Nutmeg Export
Indonesia is the largest exporter of nutmeg in the world, especially from North Sulawesi province. In Manado, The Head of North Sulawesi Trade and Industry Department, Sanny Parengkuan, said: “Until now North Sulawesi has been fulfill about 75% of nutmeg needs in the world”. Nutmeg export from North Sulawesi is about 1.000 – 2.000 tons per month, while the world needs for nutmeg just about 20.000 tons every year.
(Source : http://www.antaranews.com/berita/1268778318/sulut-pemasok-pala-terbesar-di-dunia)
