What Is Mace?

Mace, a lesser known resident of the spice cabinet, is often referred to as nutmeg's "sister spice." Both nutmeg and mace come from the same fruit of the nutmeg tree that is scientifically classified as “Myristica frangrans” and grows in Indonesia, some Caribbean islands, and Grenada.

Nutmeg is the oval-shaped seed found inside the fruit after it has been harvested and split open. The lacy membrane of red webbing surrounding the seed is the mace.

The mace can be removed and used as a whole blade or ground into a powder. It gets its distinctive color from the red tint of the structure of the exterior web and changes to a golden-brown color when it is dried. The color of the spice can be an indication of origin. An orange or bright reddish hue of mace tends to be from Indonesia, while a yellow-orange color is likely to be from Grenada.

The aroma and taste of mace is similar to nutmeg, with a few distinctions. Mace has a faintly nutty scent and is thought of as a warm flavor. It has a sweet taste with an end note of a pepper-like bitterness, and can be described as a combination of cinnamon with a kick of black pepper.

What Is Mace?

Mace is the waxy outer layer that surrounds the seed of the nutmeg. The webbing around it is known as an "aril." The center of the nutmeg contains the single, hard seed.

Mace is often called the sister spice of nutmeg for their relation to each other in how they grow on the nutmeg tree. In fact, nutmeg trees are the only plant to produce two spices from a single plant.

Though similar in taste, mace has a flavor profile that is not quite as sweet  as nutmeg and offers a sharper note of a bitter finish. Additionally, mace has more of a pepper-like finish to it, and notes of pine and coriander with citrus.

What Does Mace Taste Like?

The mild and sweet flavor of mace has a medley of citrus, cinnamon, and pepper and is commonly added to recipes for cakes and pastries. It can also be used to season meat, fish, vegetables, soup, and casseroles. 

Whole blades of mace can be used in dishes like a single bay leaf to have a slow release of flavor in sauces, soups, or stews that require a long and slow cooking time. The mace aril can be cracked in half and used to lend a perfume to recipes for rice dishes or simmered in a stock. It is also an ingredient commonly used in pickling liquids for vegetables like cucumbers or beets.

How to Cook With Mace

Mace can be used directly from the jar, commonly used in dry spice mixes or as an ingredient in a dry-rub for meats. When it is used in sweet recipes, the dry spice is incorporated into pastries, pies, and cookies. It’s also sometimes sprinkled on top of custards and puddings. You may even encounter mace dusted on top of beverages, much like you would nutmeg. The whole blades of mace are easy to grind with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

Mace is a popular ingredient in the cuisines of Northern Europe. The popular ingredient adds depth to English pork pies, Swedish meatballs, and pastry goods like pumpkin pie, rhubarb cakes, and crumbles.

In India, mace is widely used in recipes for curry and chutney. The blades of mace can be toasted in a dry pan with cardamom, cloves, and black pepper. The cooked spices are then pulverized in a mortar and pestle along with fresh ginger, garlic cloves, and turmeric to form a paste.

Sweet confections like pies, berry cobblers, or hot beverages can benefit from using mace as a flavoring. Dishes like curry, meatballs, or homemade barbecue spice rubs can get a dynamic boost when mace is used as a savory spice. Mace pairs well with allspice, ginger, cloves, saffron, cumin, coriander, caraway, and fennel. The seasoning is often used in dishes for lamb, veal, pork, and steak served with apples, sweet potatoes, carrots, mangoes, and squash.

Mace Recipes to Try:

• Panang Curry Paste
• She Crab Soup
• Sixteenth Century Orange Chicken
• Squash and Apple Bake
• Applesauce Doughnuts with Buttermilk
• Lemon Bubble Bread
• Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

Mace Substitutions

Are there substitutions for mace that can work in recipes? You can make a swap-out for mace with a blend of allspice, cinnamon, and ginger or using pumpkin pie spice.

While nutmeg and mace are related as ingredients, and come from the same nutmeg tree, there are subtle differences which may lead to a personal preference for one over the other. Mace has a bit more of a stronger, sharp flavor and therefore is often used in smaller amounts.

How to Store Mace

Ground mace should be bought fresh and used within a year. In fact, a supply of ground mace is ideally kept no longer than 6-8 months.

Keep mace in the original container it was purchased in or transfer to an airtight container of your choosing. The whole blades can also be kept in an airtight container and should be freshly ground with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle when needed.

Both the ground and whole varieties of mace should be stored in a cool, dry place away from light and heat sources.