Nutmeg and Mace: Two Spices from One Seed (History and Uses)

By Sarah Johnson · May 26, 2026

One Fruit, Two Spices

Nutmeg and mace come from the same fruit of the Myristica fragrans tree. The hard seed is nutmeg; the lacy red covering is mace.

Flavor Differences

Nutmeg: warm, sweet, nutty with hints of clove. Mace: more delicate, spicier, with notes of cinnamon and pepper. Mace is nutmeg's refined cousin.

The Dark History

The Banda Islands were the world's only source until the 18th century. The Dutch committed genocide against the Bandanese in 1621 to control the nutmeg trade.

How the Monopoly Broke

French botanist Pierre Poivre smuggled seedlings to Mauritius in the 1770s. From there, cultivation spread to Grenada, Zanzibar, and Sri Lanka.

Cooking with Nutmeg

Grate over bechamel, creamed spinach, eggnog, pumpkin pie, spinach pasta. A little goes a long way.

Cooking with Mace

Use in pound cake, doughnuts, sausage making, pickling spice, and Scandinavian meatballs. Traditional in British baking and garam masala.