Myristicaceae Myristicaceae The Myristicaceae are a family of flowering plants native to Africa, Asia, Pacific islands, and the Americas and has been recognized by most taxonomists. It is sometimes called the "nutmeg family", after its most famous member, "Myristica fragrans", the source of the spices nutmeg and mace. The best known genera are "Myristica" in Asia and "Virola" in the Neotropics. The family consists of about 21 genera with about 520 species of trees, shrubs and rarely lianas ("Pycnanthus") found in tropical forests across the world. Most of the species are large trees that are valued in the timber industry. They
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,