Nutmeg is a plant that is always in our gardens, at least one tree is always there. The nutmeg tree in this photo was again planted by our mother.
About 35 years ago. My sister, Nurlaila (Leyla), brings home ripe and dry nutmegs. Her teacher has a nutmeg orchard.
My sister goes to the park with her friends in between studies. Her teacher gave nutmeg to Nurlaila and her friends. My sister took some of the nutmeg and brought it home.
Our mothers who love to name plants also planted them in our garden, and some stems grew. Then, only one stick survived until now. The tree is planted in a coconut grove.
Our house is in a coconut grove. Because it is not exposed to sunlight, this nutmeg tree is not as big as the nutmeg tree in a nutmeg garden in general. The tree is lush, fruitful, but the trunk is not very large. We cut the tops of the nutmeg trees so that their height does not compete with the coconut trees around them.
If you want to read about nutmeg in full, please read here -> nutmeg=
Here, I'm just telling what we do with the nutmeg that is in our place.
The Acehnese use nutmeg for several things. Among them for external medicine and for cooking spices. This pungent smelling spice is believed to be a plant that has existed in Aceh since it was first inhabited by people in this region, just like several other places in Southeast Asia. Or, maybe later, but the data has not yet been found. We are indeed close to nutmeg.
In recent years, in the southern part of Aceh which is famous for its nutmeg plantations, South Aceh, a small business has created a nutmeg-based balm. I don't know whether the product sold or not, but in terms of price, it is inferior to common balm products that are well known and cheaper.
In Aceh, nutmeg is known as a medicine for bruises. If a person is hit by a hard object that bruises part of his body, then nutmeg will be placed.
The contents of the dried old nutmeg are mashed by rubbing them on an earthenware plate with a slightly rough and non-slip inner base. Or sometimes slippery too. Add a little water so that the nutmeg is easily scraped off and the scraped off thickens like dough.
After that, the nutmeg that has been mashed like flour mixed with a little water is also placed on the bruised body part.
Usually, bruised body parts will heal within a few days. Nutmeg restores the function of muscles stressed by impact, drains water that makes muscles swell.
In our culture, no fruit can heal bruises on the body caused by more collisions than nutmeg.
Apart from being used as a medicine for bruises, nutmeg is also placed on the head of a person who has a fever, along with the sweet skin which is mashed like the ground nutmeg earlier. However, this is rarely done.
One of my relatives, tried to eat nutmeg to calm his stomach, because he has problems with stomach acid, but this is not recommended. Nutmeg anesthetizes. Not recommended to eat, especially in large quantities. For bruises, I also recommend it.
Around the 2000s, I often used nutmeg. I attended the traditional Kuntaw martial arts training. This is a type of silat martial art that has strict steps. In the footwork, my training partner and I clashed shins every night. Our feet are bruised.
Nutmeg is our favorite remedy. There is one type of leaf that is also used to heal bruises. My friend uses leaves. I don't know the name, and I don't wear it. I only used nutmeg from the tree in this photo. It's not a great way to train, but we do it.
For cooking, it seems that sometimes people put a little nutmeg powder in the meat soup. I myself have tried to include nutmeg in a roast chicken recipe. The recipe is broken, can not be used.
The people of South Aceh make nutmeg their main commodity, because they have many nutmeg gardens. Apart from making balsam, they also make sweets from nutmeg skins and nutmeg pistils, as well as the inner nutmeg skin, the skin that covers the nutmeg seed, after the outer shell. For those who want a culinary tour, you can try candied nutmeg.
Thank You
February 20, 2023
Kind Regards
Thayeb Loh Angen
All Photo Captions: The nutmeg tree in the yard of our mother's house, Zubaidah Binti Juhan, which she planted, in Paloh Dayah, Mukim Paloh Timu, Lhokseumawe, Aceh, Sumatra, Friday 13 February 2023. Photo by Jamaluddin-Lodin. With Nikon D7000 Camera, Nikon AF Nikkor 70-300mm Lens.
