Nutmeg and ginger are readily available in the spice section of grocery stores, and traditionally used in a wide variety of baked goods. Although these two seasonings may even grace the same dish, such as an aromatic apple or pumpkin pie, they each have a distinctive fragrance and flavor. While nutmeg is sweet and peppery, ginger is sharp and hot. The harvest of the two spices is quite different as well, since nutmeg grows on a tree and ginger comes from the rhizome of a perennial reedlike plant.
Nutmeg
Nutmeg is derived from the ripened and dried seed of the Myristica fragrans tree, and native to the Moluccas, or Spice Islands. The nuts’ husks are removed and processed separately to make a similar spice called mace. Thanks to early spice traders, nutmeg was introduced to Europe by the Middle Ages. The name comes from the Middle English “notemuge,” and ultimately derives from the Latin “nux” or nut and “muscus” or musk.
Ginger
Ginger, or Zingiber officinale, comes from a plant native to India and China, where it has a centuries-long history of culinary use. The stem of the plant extends about a foot from the ground and produces green leaves and white or yellowish-green flowers; the rhizome, from which the spice is extracted, is pale, knotty and thick. This spice became commonly used in Europe, where it was believed to repel the Plague, by the 9th century. Ginger is available in a number of different forms, including whole raw roots, dried roots and crystallized with sugar. Powdered ginger, sold already ground from the dried root, is the most commonly used form for baking.
Cullinary Uses
Fragrant and sweet, nutmeg is used in both savory and sweet dishes, including curries, condiments, puddings, cookies, cakes, pastries, ice cream and beverages such as eggnog. Nutmeg’s flavor begins to lose its intensity soon after it is ground. For the most fresh and aromatic flavor, grate your own spice from a whole nut. One whole nut will produce several teaspoons of ground spice.
Ginger adds a pleasant pungency and warmth to gingerbread and spicy cookies such as gingersnaps. It also provides the refreshing flavor of the beverages ginger beer and ginger ale. Preserved or crystallized ginger is sometimes eaten on its own as a confection, or used to add a decorative touch and sweetness and spice to baked goods and ice cream. Asian cooks most often use ginger fresh or pickled in savory dishes.
Medical Uses
Like many other spices, both nutmeg and ginger have been used throughout history as pharmaceuticals. As a folk medicine, nutmeg was once used for treating joint pain and stomach problems, and believed to have aphrodisiac properties. No clinical studies support the use of nutmeg as a medicine, according to Drugs.com. Although nutmeg is safe in the amounts used for cooking foods, it is potentially toxic when consumed in large doses. Nutmeg’s active ingredient is an essential oil called myristicin, which acts as both a narcotic and a hallucinogen.
Ginger increases salivation and the production of digestive uses, making it useful for calming indigestion, nausea and upset stomach. One of its chemicals is also used in laxative and antacid preparations. Some people credit ginger with anti-inflammatory properties, and use it to treat the joint pain from arthritis.
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