Myristica fragrans shiny seed, long by about across, with a red or crimson covering (an aril). The seed is the source of nutmeg, the aril the source of mace. "Myristica fragrans" was given a binomial name by the Dutch botanist Maartyn Houttuyn in 1774. It had earlier been described by Georg Eberhard Rumphius, among others. The specific epithet "fragrans" means "fragrant". 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
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,