Nutmeg and mace are more than kissing cousins—these distinctive spices come from the same fruit-bearing evergreen tree, Myristica fragrans,  Once the yellow fruit, called the nutmeg pericarp, matures, it splits into two to reveal a firm white interior and shiny nutmeg seed with a bright red lace-like covering
While nutmeg and mace have similar flavor profiles, there are marked differences, too. Mace packs a spicier, more intense wallop, so if replacing it for nutmeg in a recipe, you need just a quarter of the amount.
“Mace is often described as a unique flavor reminiscent of pepper and cinnamon combined,” says Nyack Compton. “Nutmeg has a warm, nutty, and slightly sweet profile, with notes of mint, eucalyptus, cardamom, or pine. It has a more delicate and milder taste than mace.”