For centuries, the tiny Banda Islands in Maluku were the only source of nutmeg and mace in the world.
The original Spice Islands
Nutmeg and cloves from Maluku travelled along Asian and Arab trade routes long before European ships arrived. By the time they reached Europe, these spices were worth a small fortune.
The race for control
In the 1600s the Dutch East India Company fought to monopolise the nutmeg trade. The English held the small island of Run, and in the 1667 Treaty of Breda the two powers settled their claims — England kept New Amsterdam, which became New York, while the Dutch kept Run.
Nutmeg today
Indonesia remains one of the world’s leading producers of nutmeg and mace, grown in Maluku, North Sulawesi, Aceh and beyond. The trees still grow in the shade of tall canopy trees on Banda, as they have for centuries.