What was nutmeg worth?

By Chelsie Vandaveer

November 25, 2003

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Suggested Reading—>Click here.

Assorted Killer Savings Garden Links—>Click here.

Killer Picks: Nutmeg Mill, "Is There a Nutmeg in the House?", "Apple Pie Perfect"—>Click here.

Burgundy clay Pie Dish, Pie Crust Shield, Marble Pastry Board, Apple Peeler—>Click here.

Very early in history, Asian peoples appreciated the warm flavor of nutmeg from Myristica fragrans Houttuyn [mir is' tee ka fra' grans]. The nutmeg tree was found on only two of the Banda Islands in the Moluccas. Native islanders took nutmeg to the Indonesian peninsula where it made its way into the trade routes.

Nutmeg traveled along the ancient Silk Roads, most of the spices going into Greece and Rome were controlled by Arabic traders. Later traders circumvented problems with overland travel and cut out the high prices paid to Arabic traders. Travel time was shortened using ships between India and Soqotra or the Red Sea. The goods then traveled by caravan to Alexandria on the Mediterranean.

When Rome conquered Egypt, Alexandria's spice trade fell into Roman control. (See Plants that Changed History, May 21, 2002) After the fall of the Roman Empire, trade almost ceased. Arabic warriors broke the spice trade when they conquered Alexandria in 641 CE. Merchants in Venice and a few Arabic traders re-established a small trade, spice smuggling, but back to overland routes and very high prices.

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Chelsie's Swedish Apple Pie

The vast majority of Europeans had little concept of spices, silk, cotton, and hundreds of other goods. The first Crusade in 1095 was to bring the Levant, the Holy Land, under the auspices of the Church. And the control of trade was no small consideration.

Returning Europeans (who managed to survive the Crusade) were enthralled with spices--sweet spice (sugar), ginger, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It would be years before spices were common throughout Europe, but by the Renaissance foods took on a whole new taste sensation and a pound of nutmegs was monetarily equivalent to seven or eight good oxen.

Swedish Apple Pie

(Serves eight. This is an old recipe, originally written Swede's appel pie, I came across many years ago scrawled in pencil on a piece of paper wedged in a book. I have adapted it to modern measurements. It originally called for such things as teacupfulls, big spoonfulls/little spoonfulls, and pinches of cinnamon and nutmeg, possibly reflecting the expense of such items.)

2 1/3 cups apple slices, cooked and sweetened (4 or 5 tart apples like Granny Smiths or Jonathans sliced and 1/4 cup sugar cooked over low heat. Do not overcook, most of the apple slices should remain slices, some will cook to an apple sauce consistency.)

2 ¼ tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt or less
2 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups of sour cream

1 9-inch unbaked pie shell (Do not use pie shells that come frozen in aluminum pie pans, these are not full depth 9 inch shells. I use a glass 9-inch pie plate for a rich deep pie. The shallow pie shells make a thin lousy pie.)

Put apple slices into large mixing bowl; add flour, sugar, and salt. Beat eggs and vanilla, add to apple mixture, stir in sour cream. Mix well, this is a sour cream custard with apple slices. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 350 to 375 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until set.

Crumb topping:

Combine 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, ½ stick butter (no margarine), 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg. Using pastry cutter or two butter knives, cut together the ingredients until crumbly.

Sprinkle crumb topping over the pie surface and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and place on a rack to cool for 2-3 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftover pie.

Hints: This is a custard; margarine and imitation sour cream will not work nor will soft apples like Delicious work in the custard.

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This Nut Twister style is a Nutmeg Mill with a clear acrylic top and black finish base. This mill stands 3.25-in. tall. William Bounds 3.25-in. Nut Twister Nutmeg Mill, Black, Click here.

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Elizabeth David, who died in 1992, was a very private person who seldom gave interviews. However, a 1984 collection of her journalism entitled An Omelet and a Glass of Wine greatly revealed David to her readers and is now considered the best food book written in the 20th century. Now, nearly twenty years later, Viking will publish the sequel to that landmark book. Is There a Nutmeg in the House? contains material that has never appeared in previous collections. The emphasis throughout is on the practical aspects of cooking and eating and the book includes 150 recipes from around the world. Delightful essays on her various likes and dislikes–from the wonders of nutmeg to the utterly useless garlic press–complete a unique picture of what for so long made David the most influential writer on food in the English language. Is There a Nutmeg in the House?, Click here.

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There are pies with single crusts, pies with double crusts, and pies with decorative crusts, crumb toppings, and no toppings. There are traditional pies (My Mom and Dad's Brown Sugar Apple Pie), new twists (Baked Apple Dumpling Pie, Apple and Brie Hand Pies), multi-fruit pies (Apple-Plum Pie with Coconut Streusel), and pies for those who love apples in any and all forms (Shaker Boiled Apple Cider Pie).

It's all written in Haedrich's homey, easy-to-follow style, with plenty of apple lore, tips, and advice, plus a complete pie maker's guide to apple varieties. With Apple Pie Perfect, any home cook can turn out a mouthwatering version of America's favorite pie.

Ken Haedrich, a former Navy Seabee, is a food and travel writer and the author of eight cookbooks, including Soup Makes the Meal and Home for the Holidays which won the IACP Cookbook Award. He is a regular contributor to Bon Appétit, Yankee, and National Geographic Traveler and has also written for Food & Wine, Vegetarian Times, Better Homes & Gardens and Cooking Light. He lives in Rumney, New Hampshire, and Annapolis, Maryland. Apple Pie Perfect, Click here.

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10.75-in. Pie Crust Shield, Click here.

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RSVP International 18x18-in. Marble Pastry Board, Click here.

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