My doctor has put me on a Low GL/Low GI and low cholesterol diet. So, of late, spices have been much on my mind, as they are one of the few remaining things a heart-healthy chef can go hogwild with... (-:

I recall, from dining in Germany, that Germans were fond of seasoning nearly every savory/meat dish with plenty of nutmeg. It was a unique aroma and taste that I loved. [lillie, care to comment?]

I'd always loved nutmeg, of course, in sweet holiday treats such as eggnog and pumpkin pie. But until Germany, I'd never tasted it as a savory/meat spice. Do any of you use nutmeg in this capacity?

I still love nutmeg... It's probably safe to say that cinnamon is the most popular sweet spice out there; surely children cotton onto cinnamon before they do any other cupboard spice.

Do you like nutmeg? Do you use it in any unusual way?

Click to view attachmentrasputin, my grandmother always used nutmeg, in her patstitsio. Have you ever tasted, a really well made, pastitsio? I'll bet you'd discern a bit of nutmeg. I should make one again, and read how much nutmeg, Grandma used to use . . . btw: pastitsio is the Greek version, of lasagne. Some chefs claim that bechamel sauce, originated, via pastitsio.

I use a dash of nutmeg in the water I steam brussel sprouts in.

Nutmeg in alfredo sauce is delicious...

Mace, which is the outer covering of the nutmeg seed I believe, it can be used in many savory dishes like roasts, etc....

I grate nutmeg over asparagus, along with salt, pepper and a lemon juice. Same treatment is good for Brussels sprouts.

I didn't know that nutmeg was so populoar in Germany. It certainly is in Italy, and, as Armanis pointed out, in Greece.

Don't buy powdered nutmeg. Buy whole nutmegs and grate them yourself with a little nutmeg grater or a microplane.

I just bought a can of whole nutmeg, and grated some over buttered spinach for Sunday lunch. Much more aromatic than the ready-ground nutmeg. The spinach recipe has a ratio of 1 lb. of butter to 3 lbs. of spinach. One reheats the spinach with a 1/4 of butter over four days. I just had the last bit today in an omelette.

As BitterGrace says above, nutmeg is good in Alfredo sauce.

I also use nutmeg in a savory lamb stew that also contains saffron and honey.

The title of an anthology of the late Elizabeth David's articles on cuisine was "Is There a Nutmeg in the House?"

My mother just left my house, but I asked her about the nutmeg.
She's from Germany, and she said they use it in everything, from meats to pastries...and her family kept it on the table in a jar with a grater on top, so they could season foods with the fresh nutmeg.
I add a teeny bit to my coffee when I brew it, and while most people wouldn't notice...I can.

I've used nutmeg on spinach, too. I forgot about it - very good. I'll have to use it on asparagus & brussel sprouts, too.

use it on asparagus and with cheese, spnach and crab pasta sauce. Very good on chicken too!

How interesting!!
Frankly spoken, i wasn't aware that nutmeg could not be popular anywhere... i always thought our use of it was normal, surely mine is not as i am a nutmeg fan since my childhood.
I like it best on spinach, savoy (you rarely can cook tasty savoy without nutmeg), it is used in several kinds of sausages (Bratwurst, of course), minced meat and importantly with mashed potatoes. Sauce Béchamel, of course. I also like it on cauliflower, with Brussels sprouts.
Maybe it's just the fact that traditional German cuisine consists of many receipes containing potatoes, cabbage (savoy) and sausages why other nations might sense nutmeg everywhere here.
Not to forget: gingerbread.
I actually think of Moussaka myself, when i hear nutmeg. I love it with loads of it. For me it's also some kind of typical Greek spice.


Nutmeg can make you addicted and lead to hallucinations similar to marijuana and/or ecstasy when overdosed. This has been reported by American housewives in the 1950ies i read somewhere. So be careful, Dave! ;-P

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutmeg (see lower end of the site)

I am not fond of nutmeg and avoid any dish I know contains it...the article on addiction, etc. is very interesting and just shows you that excess in anything is not healthy.

rasputin, I just remembered my eggnog cake! It uses a healthy amount of nutmeg . . . AND, rum! Delicious . . . next Xmas, I'll try to send you one . . . with chocolate frosting!!!