Mace #
Illustration of Myristica fragrans Houtt. from Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen (1887)
Mace (Myristica fragrans Houtt.) is a culinary spice from the Myristicaceae family,1 originating in the region(s) of Moluccas (Indonesia).2 It is used for its aril, primarily for confectionary; peptic ulcers. Its aroma is described as sweet, bitter, salty, with a heat index of 1.3
| English | Arabic | Chinese | Hungarian |
|---|---|---|---|
| mace | بسباسة | 肉豆蔻皮 | szerecsendió-virág |
Overview #
| id | mace |
|---|---|
| species name | Myristica fragrans Houtt. |
| family | Myristicaceae |
| part used | aril |
| macroarea | Asia |
| region of origin | Moluccas (Indonesia) |
| cultivation | Grenada; Indonesia |
| color | crimson red aril whn fresh, pale yellow when dried |
| botanical database | POWO |
Etymologies #
English mace ‘aril surrounding the nutmeg’, taken as a plural in Middle English (macis) and a new singular mace was formed from it, 1234 < Old French macis ‘id.’, (although only attested slightly later than in Middle English) < or Medieval Latin macis ‘id.’; cf. cognates Hungarian mácisdió < Latin macir < Ancient Greek μάκιρ mákir, (of uncertain origin)
Arabic بسباس basbās ‘mace’ < Persian
Mandarin Chinese 肉豆蔻皮 ròudòukòupí ‘mace’
Names #
English #
| term | source |
|---|---|
| mace | OED |
Arabic #
| script | term | literal | source |
|---|---|---|---|
| بسباس | basbās | Wehr, 1976 | |
| قشرة جوز الطيب | qishrat jawz al-ṭīb | peel of the nut of fragrance | Wikipedia |
Chinese #
| script | term | literal | source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 肉豆蔻乾皮 | ròudòukòugānpí | nutmeg-skin | Kleeman, 2010 |
POWO. (2022). Plants of the World Online (Botanical Database). Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/ ↩︎
van Wyk, B.-E. (2014). Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World. University of Chicago Press, joint publication with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226091839.001.0001 ↩︎
Medicinal Spices Exhibit. (2002). UCLA Biomedical Library: History & Special Collections. https://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/biomed/spice/index.cfm?spicefilename=taste.txt&itemsuppress=yes&displayswitch=0 ↩︎