Nutmeg plantation - Kerala

From the archive record

Nutmeg, jackfruit, betelnut, coconut and banana plantation in Kerala, India. Nutmeg and mace (known in India as jayphal / jayaphala and javitri) are grown in various parts including Kerala and Goa. They comprise a premium family of spices that are also used in Indian cooking. The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas (or Spice Islands) of Indonesia. The nutmeg tree is important for two spices derived from the fruit: nutmeg and mace. Nutmeg is the seed of the tree, roughly egg-shaped and about 20 to 30 mm (0.8 to 1 in) long and 15 to 18 mm (0.6 to 0.7 in) wide, and weighing between 5 and 10 g (0.2 and 0.4 oz) dried, while mace is the dri