Myristica fragrans Myristica fragrans Myristica fragrans is an evergreen tree indigenous to the Moluccas (or the Spice Islands) of Indonesia. It is important as the main source of the spices nutmeg and mace. It is widely grown across the tropics including Guangdong and Yunnan in China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Grenada in the Caribbean, Kerala in India, Sri Lanka and South America. "Myristica fragrans" is a evergreen tree, usually tall, but occasionally reaching and rarely reaching up to find only in Tidore. The alternately arranged leaves are dark green, long by wide with petioles about long. The species is dioecious, i.e. "male" or
Tempering (spices) Tempering (spices) Tempering is a cooking technique used in the cuisines of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, in which whole spices (and sometimes also other ingredients such as dried chillies, minced ginger root or sugar) are roasted briefly in oil or ghee to liberate essential oils from cells and thus enhance their flavours, before being poured, together with the oil, into a dish. Tempering is also practiced by dry roasting whole spices in a pan before grinding the spices. Tempering is typically done at the beginning of cooking, before adding the other ingredients for a curry or similar dish,