[Sca-cooks] nutmeg leaves

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Guillaume posted:
> > Aultre pouldre pour vser enpotaiges et en toutes les viandes. Prendez
> > canelle noix muscades et des foelles des noix muscadeset de tout ce faittes
> > pouldre toutensamble.
 > >
> > Another good powder for use in soups and in all meats. Take cinnamon,
> > nutmegs and nutmeg leaves, and of all this make powder all together.

Stefan li Rous replied:
> Oh! Wow, I wouldn't have expected this in a medieval recipe.
>
> Why import nutmeg leaves when you can import nutmegs? The latter would seem to be much more 
> profitable.

I personally seriously doubt the actual leaves of the nutmeg tree were imported all the way from Banda Island - which is between Sulawesi (formerly Celebes) and New Guinea - to Europe. Until well into the 19th c. Banda was the world's ONLY source of nutmeg.

I agree with those who think that mace - the dried lacy outer aril of the nutmeg "nut" - is what is being referred to. I lived in Indonesia for a few years and while jam is made there of the fruit that covers the nutmeg "nut", i have never heard of the leaves being used for anything, not even for jamu, Indonesian herbal medicine.

Urtatim (that's oor-tah-TEEM)