The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-03-23
THE NUTMEG TRADE.

Experts Say That the Lining Process
Tends to Spoil the Nut.
people may laugh as they please about
the old-time Connecticut nutmeg joke" said
a prominent spice importer to q Post re-
porter yesterday afternoon, "but there
are several interesting points about this
somewhat maligned though thoroughly
spicy little nut of which the majority of
people are ignorant. Have yon ever noticed
that most nutnegs-for l suppose you
have occasionally glated them yourself
into glass of punch or toddy, even if you
have never seen them in your kitchen-are
covered with a thin white coating, or q,
least that the numerous creyices are filed
with Iight-colored substance? Most people
think that 10 be n natural condition OF the
nutmeg, but it Is not. The substance Is
lime, and the reason for its being placed on
the nutmeg is a rather curious one. Many
years ago the practice of lining nutiuegs
originated among the Dutch colonial mer-
chants of the East Indies. They broke the
shells and then immersed the kernels or
seeds in the milk OF lime, often keeping
them there for period of three months.
The object of this treatment was 10 prevent
the seed from sprouting out during trans
portatiOn to the European markets, as yeu
have often seen potatoes do late in the
spring.
"This necessitated second drying, and
most experts now claim that lining spoils
the nut from hyglenc and chemical point
OF view, and by degrees shippers are learn
ing that the process is really unnecessary.
In many sections of the world, though, the
the prejudice in favor of lining is so strong
that the penang which is considered the
best variety OF nutmeg grown, will not cont
mand anything like the phi g 1t deserves
unless the white lime coating is present,
European merchants, however, have learned
To fa1- nsatta
brown condition. The Chinese also prefer
them unlimed. while the American buyers
usually like them in the old-fashiOned way.
Occasionally unScrupul0uS East India
shippers Will aduiterate good nuts with
those quite as worthless as the prnverba
wooden ones of colonial DAYS in New En-
gland" continued the merchant - mean
by mixing in with the good ones nutmegS
from which the oil has been extracted, a.
there is process by which valuable yola-
tile oil can be taken out without destroying
the nut. The flavor of the nut Is in this oil,
hence, without the latter, the nat is almost
worthless. These nuts may be detected by
their lightneSs in weight when compared
with the genuine article, and close exami-
nation with magnifying glass will show
that the surface OF the nut, robbed of its oil,
is covered with minnie holes,
You probably have never eaten nut
megs preserved in syrup, but il is fact
that in certain portions of the East Indies
they are much esteemed when served III
this manner. Washington Post
Some doctors think they have too much
travelling to do to reach their patients Let
such doctors read this: A Caribou tMeJ
physician was called to Il lumber camp
above the Allegash to. perform surgical
operation upon lumberman. lie started
at 10 O'Clock in the morning, and beyond
Grand Isle found fonr teams stationed at
different points awaiting him. He arrived
at his destination at midnight having made
the distance CT 102 miles in fourteen hours