# 18th Century Recipes, and the use of nutmeg. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 21, 2020, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274 "2020-02-21T02:22:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mrdeals](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2020, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/1 "2020-02-21T02:22:31Z")
I’ve been enjoying some Townsend & Son videos on YouTube, i highly recommend them to anyone. I can’t help but notice the huge number of recipes, nearly every one he does in fact, calls for nutmeg. Why was nutmeg so popular back in colonial America? Was it a cheap import, or does it actually grow plentiful in the US? Googling the spice seems to suggest it comes from tropical areas. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2020, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/2 "2020-02-21T02:36:06Z")
It stores (and thus travels) well, and a little goes a long way. Also, [Moderating] Moving to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2020, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/3 "2020-02-21T02:36:39Z")
It stores (and thus travels) well, and a little goes a long way. Also, [Moderating] Moving to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2020, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/4 "2020-02-21T02:41:37Z")
No, it does not grow in America. Nutmeg was rare and pricey. It originated on a single of the Banda Islands. It was the sole British possession in those parts. They later swapped the island to the Dutch for Manhattan. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2020, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/5 "2020-02-21T02:46:05Z")
> [@Mrdeals](#): > > I’ve been enjoying some Townsend & Son videos on YouTube, i highly recommend them to anyone. I agree, I quite enjoy Townsends. With that being said, nutmeg would have been almost unheard of for most colonials. The fact that he uses it heavily in his videos shouldn’t indicate that it was cheap and common enough for most people to use on a daily basis. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2020, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/6 "2020-02-21T03:33:02Z")
I do enjoy the flavor of it. I wonder why it’s never used as the main spice in anything - Nutmeg Snaps, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2020, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/7 "2020-02-21T03:43:51Z")
Connecticut is nicknamed the “Nutmeg State.” Our poodle Belle was born in Hartford, and her kennel name is “Yankee Nutmeg Bells at Midnight.” (She’s black) I hate the taste of nutmeg and leave it out of anything I cook that calls for it. Cloves, also. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2020, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/8 "2020-02-21T05:39:23Z")
> [@Hatchie](#): > > I do enjoy the flavor of it. I wonder why it’s never used as the main spice in anything - Nutmeg Snaps, maybe? Eggnog. Barbados rum punch. Lots of Italian dishes, e.g. tortellini. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2020, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/9 "2020-02-21T11:40:13Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > I agree, I quite enjoy Townsends. With that being said, nutmeg would have been almost unheard of for most colonials. The fact that he uses it heavily in his videos shouldn’t indicate that it was cheap and common enough for most people to use on a daily basis. [This article](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/94734/why-early-america-was-obsessed-wooden-nutmegs) estimates a whole nutmeg cost the equivalent of one hour’s wage for a common laborer. Expensive? Sure. But since a whole nutmeg is typically enough for several batches of most recipes that call for it, I don’t think it was beyond the reach of even ordinary people in colonial times. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2020, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/10 "2020-02-21T12:04:03Z")
And people were warned against buying counterfeit wooden nutmegs. “Several batches”? With as little nutmeg as is needed for it to dominate a dish, a nutmeg could probably last for a year. Oh, and as for nutmeg being the main spice in things, don’t forget about the now-omnipresent “Pumpkin Spice”. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2020, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/11 "2020-02-21T23:47:26Z")
Since 1843 nutmeg trees have been grown on the island of Grenada. Shortly afterwards a crop disaster hit Indonesia allowing Grenada to establish itself as a major player. I’m just guessing but, due to the distances involved, Grenadian nutmeg was probably an attractive import for American spice merchants. [This article](https://calabashhotel.com/about-us/blog/The-Nutmeg-Story-Grenada) has a nice potted history. It mentions the way the Grenadians use every part of the fruit including making jam or jelly from the pulp. I’ve tried some and even though I’m not fond of the taste of nutmeg it was pretty good with a more delicate flavour than the spice. ---
**Author:** ![turner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@turner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turner)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2020, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/12 "2020-02-21T23:55:26Z")
I think the nutmeg thing in the Townsends is a personal preference thing much like Chef John from [foodwishes.com](http://foodwishes.com) (another highly recommend) puts Cayenne in everything. You make the video, you make the rules. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2020, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/13 "2020-02-22T05:06:28Z")
Nutmeg is indispensable when making a sugar cream pie (State Pie of Indiana). ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2020, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/14 "2020-02-22T12:48:20Z")
I don’t have a particularly good cite for this, but I’m sure I have read or seen that nutmeg was the Rolls Royce of spices, and so it you could afford to you put it in dishes for guests just to show off how damn wealthy you were. > [@](#): > > What made nutmeg so captivating, so costly, for so long? One factor was its sheer rarity: you can see a similar effect today in £10,000-a-kilo beluga caviar and in a few red wines glugged mainly by boorish oligarchs. [Source](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/sep/14/consider-nutmeg) If it then subsequently appears in more commonplace dishes (the food of the people, if you will) because of easier access, then I guess that’s just a case of trickle-down ostentation. It was ever so. j ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/15 "2020-02-22T19:02:18Z")
If you knew, as I did, what the subject of this thread was before opening it . . . you watch too much YouTube. CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2020, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/16 "2020-02-22T20:11:49Z")
> [@Hatchie](#): > > I do enjoy the flavor of it. I wonder why it’s never used as the main spice in anything - Nutmeg Snaps, maybe? [Nutmeg snaps](https://cooking.lovetoknow.com/nutmeg-snaps-recipe) do exist. But, yes, it is often used as an “accent” spice or in combination with other “Christmas” spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, etc. For me, it’s also indispensable in a bechamel. You don’t need a lot, but a little nutmeg to perk it up. I love nutmeg. I also find it, or its outer shell – mace, to be indispensable in making a number of sausages, including hot dogs, and my bratwurst is a mix of caraway seed, marjoram, mace (or nutmeg), and white pepper. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2020, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/17 "2020-02-22T21:16:28Z")
Plus if you use enough, it gets you high. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2020, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/18 "2020-02-22T21:22:13Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > [Nutmeg snaps](https://cooking.lovetoknow.com/nutmeg-snaps-recipe) do exist. But, yes, it is often used as an “accent” spice or in combination with other “Christmas” spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, etc. For me, it’s also indispensable in a bechamel. You don’t need a lot, but a little nutmeg to perk it up. I love nutmeg. I also find it, or its outer shell – mace, to be indispensable in making a number of sausages, including hot dogs, and my bratwurst is a mix of caraway seed, marjoram, mace (or nutmeg), and white pepper. Yeah, “white” lasagna is flat without a little nutmeg. ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2020, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/19 "2020-02-22T21:22:28Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > No, it does not grow in America. Nutmeg was rare and pricey. It originated on a single of the Banda Islands. It was the sole British possession in those parts. They later swapped the island to the Dutch for Manhattan. This being the Dope, I’ll go all pedantic here: The Dutch didn’t really trade Manhattan for Nutmeg. Nutmeg was cultivated, at the time of the treaty of Breda, on the Banda Islands - not just on Run. (at one point Run May have been the single source, but that was well before this) Run was the one Banda island the English gave up - the rest were already firmly subject to Dutch exploitation, murder and arguably genocide. The English also gave up parts of Surinam, meaning effectively all of Surinam. The Dutch gave up New Netherland, which while it included Manhattan and other parts of NY, also included chunks of New Jersey, Connecticut, RI, Delaware and even bits of Pennsylvania. So it wasn’t a trade of Manhattan for Nutmeg, or not per-sé. Further, it wasn’t a trade of “you-pick-this, I-pick-that” at all in fact, as the Treaty of Breda was effectively “you keep what you hold” as of 5/20/1667. Since the colonials in parts of North America went their own way a little over 100 years later, some argue that the Dutch came out ahead in this treaty. While they did, that isn’t why. The Dutch came out ahead by the simple fact that they were relieved of New Jersey. Bullet dodged, there. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2020, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274/20 "2020-02-22T22:38:13Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Yeah, “white” lasagna is flat without a little nutmeg. It’s very normal in Italy to use nutmeg wherever dairy is involved, particularly _besciamella_ sauce (which is nothing but béchamel, Italianized). As part of my adventures in global fusion cuisine, I invented a sort of garam masala using only the spices normally used in Italy. Because Italian cuisine is almost entirely about the herbs rather than spices, and I wondered what if I just did Italian spices. I combined black pepper, hot red pepper, nutmeg, fennel, and celery seed (and maybe a little sesame), toasted. Called it “_Itālvī masālā_” (_Itālvī_ being Hindi for Italian). I decided it was just the thing to “give your old pasta fazool a kick.” Only a pinch or two is enough. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-century-recipes-and-the-use-of-nutmeg/848274.md?page=2)