THE NUTMEG WARS

Nutmeg is indigenous to the volcanic soils of the Banda Islands, a group of islands in Indonesia.

By the Middle Ages, wealthy people in Europe knew about nutmeg and coveted it for its medicinal properties.

Europeans believed that nutmeg had the power to ward off viruses like the common cold; they even thought that it could prevent the bubonic plague. As a result, the spice was worth more than its weight in gold.

Today, the Island of Run has a population of about 1,000 people. And much like TV’s “Gilligan’s Island,” there are no phones, no motorcars. And lights? They’re only on for a few hours every evening. After that, the power grid is shut down island-wide.

nd the mysterious “Spice Islands” of Indonesia where nutmeg was grown. In 1512, the Spanish worth a lot of money, and whoever had the Banda Islands, the only place where it grew, had a monopoly on the spice.

In 1621 the Dutch swept in and took over. In order to monopolize on the spice, all exported nutmeg seeds were drenched with lime to make sure there was no chance a fertile nut would find its way off the islands. In 1667, the Dutch traded Manhattan to the British for a small Pacific island named Run/Rhun (Roon). Run is barely seen on the map and was one of the Banda Islands in the Spice Islands archipelago and was where the nutmeg trees grew.

Initially, the Dutch wanted to get around America to Asia — and all its spices. Of all the high-demand, low-supply, overpriced spices, nutmeg was king. It was the most precious spice on earth from kingdom to kitchen. The Dutch wanted total control of the lucrative nutmeg trade and they were willing to give up New Amsterdam (Manhattan), their backwater town in the New World, for it. Local Bandanese call this trade the “Manhattan Transfer.”

The Dutch got what they wanted. The Treaty of Breda, in 1667, the English intended on securing their hold over every nutmeg island.

The Dutch offered a trade, by giving the island of Manhattan, which is how New Amsterdam became New

In 1770, A Frenchman Pierre Poivre (Peter Pepper), smuggled nutmeg trees out of the Banda Islands and successfully transplanted them in the French colony of Mauritius off the coast of East Africa, creating competition for the nutmeg trade.

THEN, disaster struck In 1778, a volcanic eruption caused a tsunami that wiped out many of the nutmeg groves in the Banda Islands. In 1809, the English reclaimed the Banda Islands but in 1817 returned them to the Dutch AFTER transplanting hundreds of nutmeg seedlings to their own colonies.

Banda nutmeg is still considered the finest nutmeg in the world, although it is grown in other places.

Nutmeg comes from a tall evergreen. Nutmeg is a seed not a nut and is used as a spice in various cuisines in the world. It brings sweetness to the foods. The seed can also enhance the taste of food

. The spice trade began in the Middle East and Arab traders brought spices to Europe.

• Historically, grated nutmeg was used as a sachet, and the Romans used it as incense.

• Nutmeg was prized by the European aristocracy who used it for seasoning, medicine, and to preserve meat.

• Ladies wore nutmeg sachets around their necks and men put it into their snuff. Everyone used it to combat the plague.

• Just in our very recent past, NUTMEG was named the Herb of the Month in November of this year, 2019, by the Herb Society of America’s.

Interesting Facts

The first fact is that the spice trade was the primary driver of the global economy.

Nutmeg was the favored spice in Europe. Aside from adding flavor to food and drinks, its aromatic qualities worked wonders to disguise the stench of more than just a spice. It has a red membrane, which enwraps the shiny dark nutmeg shell, is known as mace, nutmeg’s twin spice. The outer lace-like covering of the nutmeg seed is dried and ground. Mace is used both as a spice and as a weapon to ward of predators.

No part of the nutmeg is ever wasted including the shell, which is used as flower bed mulch and for covering garden plants.

NUTMEG VS MACE – WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Culinary Uses – Nutmeg is considerably more fragrant and sweeter, while mace has a lighter flavor.

Nutmeg is used more to flavor many kinds of baked goods, confections, puddings, potatoes, meats, sausages, sauces, vegetables, curries, and such beverages as eggnog.

Mace has fewer of the same compounds and is more delicate and milk base dishes. It is used more for pastries

• A common name for some types of tear gas.

• By extension, a common name for some types of pepper spray.

• By generalization, a name for personal tear gas and pepper spray.

Why was nutmeg so valuable?

Four hundred years ago, nutmeg was the most valuable commodity in the world, owing to its potent medicinal properties. The sweet, fragrant aroma of nutmeg is the result of a combination of essential oils, notably myristicin, elemicin, eugenol, safrole, pinene, camphene, dipentene, cineol, linalool, and terpineol.

Medicinal Uses

to combat the Black Death.

• In 16th century London, for example, its price skyrocketed after doctors recommended it as a cure for the bubonic plague. Ladies carried nutmeg sachets around their necks to breathe through and avoid the pestilence of the air.

• China dates back to the 5th century and was considered beneficial to the digestive system.

• Sri Lanka and Indonesia and are currently in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia for rheumatism, nausea, diarrhea, flatulent dyspepsia and dysentery. An ointment of nutmeg butter has been used as a counterirritant and in the treatment of rheumatism.

• The seed contains anti-fungal, anti-infectious and anti-bacterial agents as well as volatile and nonvolatile oil.

• Many arthritis sufferers use nutmeg oil and it has been used for years in the West Indies as a treatment for malaria, asthma, and pneumonia.

Vitamin And Mineral Composition

Nutmeg is rich in dietary minerals including B group vitamins as well as essential oils with anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor as well as antioxidant properties. The portion in the nutmeg is considered one of the highest