Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine January 2019 | Page 292

The "crunchy" sound of walking on a nutmeg-shell paved
walkway indicates the arrival of visitors.
Put Nutmeg in your New Year
by Shana Jones
Read her blog at
www.roamingaviatrix.com
W
hen you hear the
word “nutmeg”,
what do you
think of? Sweet-
smelling drinks and desserts?
Deliciously earthy aromas
floating through the kitchen?
Maybe your tastebuds
remember the slightly sharp,
punchy taste after biting down
on a ball of granules stuck
together in your hot cereal.
Likely. Probably unlikely to
come to mind, however, is the
vast array of other ways people
enjoy nutmeg in and out of the
kitchen. This lesser-known side
emerged for me on a recent
trip to Grenada (dubbed the
Spice Isle for its abundance of
nutmeg and mace, its crimson
co-conspirator), and roaming
through nutmeg factories,
spice gardens and cocoa
plantations revealed why
Grenadians consider nutmeg
their “black gold”. fried in mustard oil, cayenne
pepper and Indian spices and
sometimes used as a meat
substitute by vegetarians.
From seasoning to security
systems to stroke remedies,
here are 12 interesting ways
to spice up your knowledge of
this “black gold”, or “lady in the
red petticoat”, one month at a
time: 3. Aromatize the garden
1. Apply NutMed, a locally-
produced nutmeg-based
cream/spray to sore muscles
or inflamed joints. One of
nutmeg’s best kept secrets is
its muscle-relaxing property
that provides gentle relief for
backaches, nerve pain, arthritis,
and injuries associated with
swelling/inflammation.
2. Divert from the normal
dusting on desserts or drinks.
Nutmeg features in Grenadian-
produced marinades, BBQ
sauces, jams/jellies, syrup,
rum punch, cold drinks, salad
dressing, ice cream, and
kuchela – an Indian-heritage
chutney of grated
nutmeg fruit flesh
by placing newly harvested
nutmeg shells in garden beds
throughout.
Whole nutmeg, ground nutmeg, and mace
are used in variety of flavouring options and
health remedies - Photo Credit: Shana Jones
4. In addition to producing
a sweet garden fragrance,
nutmeg shells help to control
weeds and are often used as
mulch.
5 . Nutmeg shells form a sort
of basic “security system”
and cement alternative for
Grenadians living in the
countryside. Traditionally,
poorer country people unable
to afford cement would pave
their walkways with nutmeg
shells. The “crunching” sound
underfoot would quickly
betray the presence of
unwanted
visitors.
Photo Credit: Shana Jones
6. Ladies, put the pills away!
As a muscle and overall relaxer,
nutmeg eases menstrual
cramps and backache. Spray
some NutMed on the back and
stomach or add some nutmeg
oil or powder to cinnamon tea
for gentle relief.
7. If you are able to safely
intervene while someone is
suffering a stroke, locals say that
placing a whole nutmeg seed
under or a few drops of nutmeg
oil on the tongue prevent it
from becoming heavy and
rolling back in the mouth. especially a dash of nutmeg in
warm milk. The sedating effect
of the spice promises a relaxing
drift-off to sweet dreams.
8. To fight migraines, locals 10. Like many other plants
massage the temples with
NutMed spray. The alcohol in
the spray speeds up the rate of
absorption to bring faster relief.
9. A hot cup of anything before
bedtime has calming effects,
found in Grenada, a tea of
nutmeg can be made to fight
colds. Drink some ground
nutmeg and mace in hot water
or inhale a NutMed-sprayed
tissue to reduce a fever and
clear the sinuses.