THE HISTORY OF OUR REGULAR SPICE: NUTMEG

NUTMEG: A unique spice with a lush history.

INTRODUCTION: The nutmeg tree (Myristica fragrans) is a tall, evergreen species originally from Southeast Asia. Prior to the late 1700s, it was found only in one part of the world—a small cluster of northeast Indonesian islands in the Banda Sea, hair of the Moluccas—historically referred to as the Spice Islands. Characterized by a dense canopy of leathery, dark green ovate leaves, the tree also bears small, bell-shaped yellow blossoms and distinctive pale-yellow, pear-like fruits. Its fruit is pale yellow and shaped like a pear, enclosed in a fleshy outer covering When fully ripe, the outer layer splits open along a natural seam, revealing a glossy, purple-brown seed roughly 2–3 cm long and 2 cm wide. Surrounding this seed is a vibrant red, lacy membrane known as the aril. From this single fruit come two different spices: nutmeg, which is made by drying the seed, and mace, which is derived from the aril.

TRADE OF THE SPICE: During the Middle Ages, nutmeg was an exceptionally esteemed and exorbitantly priced commodity in European gastronomy, valued not only for its distinctive flavor but also for its medicinal properties and preservative qualities. Throughout this era, Arab traders maintained an exclusive monopoly over its importation into Europe. They supplied the spice to Venetian merchants at premium prices while meticulously concealing the precise origin of this rare and highly coveted product. This Arab-Venetian hegemony over the nutmeg trade persisted until 1512, when Portuguese explorers successfully navigated to the Banda Islands and commenced the direct extraction and exploitation of the region's lucrative spice resource.

COMPETITION FOR DOMINANCE: Due to growing competition from Spain, Portugal began outsourcing its spice distribution to Dutch traders. This arrangement allowed Dutch merchants to profit, and their commercial fleet quickly expanded to become one of the largest in the world. By the late 16th century, the Dutch had gained control over much of the spice trade in Northern Europe. However, in 1580, Portugal came under Spanish rule, and by the end of the century, the Dutch found themselves excluded from the market. With prices for spices like pepper and nutmeg rising across Europe, they decided to take action. In 1602, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) was established to challenge Portuguese dominance and secure a monopoly over the spice trade

RISE OF ‘VOC’: In 1602, Dutch traders founded the VOC, a trading corporation which is well known as the Dutch East India Company. By 1617, the VOC was the most expensive commercial operation in the world. In the early 17th century, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) emerged as a formidable global enterprise, employing 50,000 individuals worldwide, maintaining a private army of 30,000, and commanding a fleet of 200 ships. Concurrently, Europe grappled with the devastating effects of the plague, a virulent and highly contagious disease. Physicians, desperate for remedies, believed nutmeg possessed curative properties, fueling an insatiable demand for this spice. Nutmeg, procured for mere pennies in Indonesia, could be sold in London for up to 68,000 times its original cost, making it more valuable than gold. However, the limited supply posed a significant challenge. Recognizing this, the Dutch capitalized on the opportunity, establishing control over the spice trade to meet the burgeoning demand.

BRITISH-DUTCH AGREEMENT: In the early 17th century, the Banda Islands were governed by local sultans who maintained a neutral stance in foreign trade, thereby avoiding Portuguese or Spanish military presence. However, this policy left them vulnerable to other colonial powers. In 1621, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) seized control of the islands, aiming to monopolize the lucrative nutmeg trade. Once in power, the Dutch implemented stringent measures to secure their monopoly. They consolidated nutmeg production into a few easily defensible areas, destroying any trees outside these zones. Severe penalties were imposed on anyone found cultivating nutmeg without authorization. Additionally, all exported nutmeg was coated with lime to prevent fertile seeds from being planted elsewhere. The only remaining obstacle to their dominance was Run Island, a small territory under British control. After prolonged negotiations, the 1667 Treaty of Breda was signed. In this agreement, the British ceded Run Island to the Dutch in exchange for Manhattan, which the Dutch had previously established as New Amsterdam. This transaction effectively granted the Dutch a monopoly over the nutmeg trade, a control they maintained for nearly two centuries.

NUTMEG SMUGGLED TO ANOTHER REGION: Then, in 1770, a Frenchman named Pierre Poivre successfully bootleged nutmeg plants safely in an African Costal Island named MAURITIOUS. Later, some of these were shipped to the Caribbean, where they flourished, especially on Grenada. The following year, in 1778, a tsunami brought about by a volcanic eruption in the Banda region decimated half of the nutmeg groves. In the end, in 1809, the British invaded Indonesia once more and forced their way into the Banda Islands. In 1817, they gave the islands back to the Dutch, but not before they planted hundreds of nutmeg seedlings in plantations all over southern Asia. The Dutch monopoly on nutmeg was over.

CONCLUSION: Nowadays, nutmeg is being grown in Indonesia, Malaysia, India, the Caribbean, Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka, and world nutmeg production is estimated to average between 10,000 and 12,000 tonnes per year.