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A visitor to the kitchen asked if I knew about an ingredient called a "lug nut." Alas, I wasn't 100% familiar and made an educated guess. Below is a transcript of our 10/26/03 email exchange:

Question:

I work in a "gourmet" grocery store which is known for stocking hard-to-find and imported products. Today a lady came in looking for something called "lug nut". She said it was a spice used often by her family, but that she couldn't contact her family to ask about it. When I suggested that she look for it at the local Asian market, she told me that she shops there every day, and that a chef there had told her she could find it in "regular" supermarkets. She was positive about the spelling. I can't find anything remotely like it anywhere on the internet. Have you ever heard of "lug nut"? It might be an herb or a spice.

Thanks!

My response:

I've never heard of a "lug nut" before -- except for on tires! Did this woman indicate what kinds of dishes it's used in? In Chinese and Vietnamese markets, there's a nut that resembles a nutmeg. However it's a false cardamom. The flavor is smoky and somewhat medicinal. I don't particularly care for it because it's overwhelming. Some Vietnamese cooks use it in their pho stock. Yuck! Anyway, if this customer wants to use it, that's her choice. I think that if a true nutmeg is used, the flavor would be superior. The customer's use of "lug nut" may be related to the Thai term for nutmeg, luk chand. The Vietnamese term is thao qua.

I've not cooked much with this "nut" and must admit my lack of experience. However, note that the last time I queried my mom on thao qua, she said, "Oh, it's nutmeg." But the stuff that I picked up in a Vietnamese market was more akin to a cardamom. Also, keep in mind that package labeling of Asian ingredients tends to be inconsistent. For example, just the other day I saw these "nutmegs" at a Chinese market and they were labeled fructus amoni -- the pharmaceutical term for allspice. They are absolutely not allspice fruits. Usually, these nuts are sold in small plastic bags with about 4 to 5 nuts in each. I know, it's confusing but it's always an adventure when dealing with Asian ingredients.

If you look up cardamom in the Oxford Companion to Food, you can get more information on the Asian versions. If you offer this lady a nutmeg, I think that you'll be close to filling her needs. The bottom line is, however, how she uses it.

Hope I was of help!

Andrea