The Unsavory History of Nutmeg Spice

Today, we sprinkle ground nutmeg on our espresso drinks, add it to eggnog, or mix it into pumpkin pie filling. Most people probably dont particularly wonder about its origins, no doubt - it comes from the spice aisle in the supermarket, right? And fewer still stop to consider the tragic and bloody history behind this spice. Over the centuries, however, tens of thousands of people have died in the pursuit of nutmeg. What Is Nutmeg? Nutmeg comes from the seed of the Myristica frangans tree, a tall evergreen species native to the Banda Islands, which are part of Indonesias Moluccas or Spice Islands. The inner kernel of the nutmeg seed can be ground into nutmeg, while the aril (the outer lacy covering) yields another spice, mace. Nutmeg has long been valued not only as a flavoring for food  but also for its medicinal properties. In fact, when taken in large enough doses nutmeg is a hallucinogen, thanks to a psychoactive chemical called myristicin, which is related to mescaline and amphetamine. People have known about the interesting effects of nutmeg for centuries; the 12th-century abbess Hildegard of Bingen wrote about it, for one. Nutmeg on the Indian Ocean Trade Nutmeg was well-known in the countries bordering the Indian Ocean, where it featured in Indian cooking and traditional Asian medicines. Like other spices, nutmeg had the advantage of being light-weight compared with pottery, jewels, or even silk cloth, so trading ships and camel caravans could easily carry a fortune in nutmeg. For the inhabitants of the Banda Islands, where the nutmeg trees grew, the Indian Ocean trade routes ensured a steady business and allowed them a comfortable living. It was the Arab and Indian traders, however, who got very wealthy from selling the spice all around the rim of the Indian Ocean. Nutmeg in Europe's Middle Ages As mentioned above, by the Middle Ages, wealthy people in Europe knew about nutmeg  and coveted it for its medicinal properties. Nutmeg was considered a hot food according to the theory of humors, taken from ancient Greek medicine, which still guided European physicians at the time. It could balance cold foods like fish and vegetables. 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. As much as they treasured nutmeg, however, people in Europe had no clear idea of where it came from. It entered Europe through the port of Venice, carried there by Arab traders who portaged it from the Indian Ocean across the Arabian Peninsula and into the Mediterranean world... but the ultimate source remained a mystery. Portugal Seizes the Spice Islands In 1511, a Portuguese force under Afonso de Albuquerque seized the Molucca Islands. By early the next year, the Portuguese had extracted the knowledge from the locals that the Banda Islands were the source of nutmeg and mace, and three Portuguese ships sought out these fabled Spice Islands. The Portuguese did not have the manpower to physically control the islands, but they were able to break the Arab monopoly on the spice trade. The Portuguese ships filled their holds with nutmeg, mace, and cloves, all purchased for a reasonable price from the local growers. Over the next century, Portugal tried to build a fort on the main Bandanaira Island  but was driven off by the Bandanese. Finally, the Portuguese simply bought their spices from middlemen in Malacca. Dutch Control of Nutmeg Trade The Dutch soon followed the Portuguese to Indonesia, but they proved unwilling to simply join the queue of spice shippers. Traders from the Netherlands provoked the Bandanese by demanding spices in return for useless and unwanted goods, like thick woolen clothing and damask cloth, which was completely unsuitable for tropical climes. Traditionally, Arab, Indian, and Portuguese traders had offered much more practical items: silver, medicines, Chinese porcelain, copper, and steel. Relations between the Dutch and Bandanese started out sour  and quickly went down-hill. In 1609, the Dutch coerced some Bandanese rulers into signing the Eternal Treaty, granting the Dutch East Indies Company a monopoly on spice trade in the Bandas. The Dutch then strengthened their Bandanaira fortress, Fort Nassau. This was the last straw for the Bandanese, who ambushed and killed the Dutch admiral for the East Indies and about forty of his officers. The Dutch also faced a threat from another European power - the British. In 1615, the Dutch invaded Englands only foothold in the Spice Islands, the tiny, nutmeg-producing islands of Run and Ai, about 10 kilometers from the Bandas. The British forces had to retreat from Ai to the even smaller island of Run. Britain counter-attacked the same day, though, killing 200 Dutch soldiers. A year later, the Dutch attacked again  and besieged the British on Ai. When the British defenders ran out of ammunition, the Dutch overran their position and slaughtered them all. The Bandas Massacre In 1621, the Dutch East India Company decided to solidify its hold on the Banda Islands proper. A Dutch force of unknown size landed on Bandaneira, fanned out, and reported numerous violations of the coercive Eternal Treaty signed in 1609. Using these alleged violations as a pretext, the Dutch had forty of the local leaders beheaded. They then went on to perpetrate genocide against the Bandanese. Most historians believe that the population of the Bandas was around 15,000 before 1621. The Dutch brutally massacred all but about 1,000 of them; the survivors were forced to work as slaves in the nutmeg groves. Dutch plantation-owners took control of the spice orchards  and grew wealthy selling their products in Europe at 300 times the production cost. Needing more labor, the Dutch also enslaved and brought in people from Java and other Indonesian islands. Britain and Manhattan At the time of the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1665-67), however, the Dutch monopoly on nutmeg production was not quite complete. The British still had control of little Run Island, on the fringe of the Bandas. In 1667, the Dutch and British came to an agreement, called the Treaty of Breda. Under its terms, the Netherlands relinquished the far-off and generally useless island of Manhattan, also known as New Amsterdam, in return for the British handing over Run. Nutmeg, Nutmeg Everywhere The Dutch settled down to enjoying their nutmeg monopoly for about a century and a half. However, during the Napoleonic Wars (1803-15), Holland became a part of Napoleons empire  and was thus an enemy of England. This gave the British an excellent excuse to invade the Dutch East Indies once again  and try to pry open the Dutch stranglehold on the spice trade. On August 9, 1810, a British armada attacked the Dutch fort on Bandaneira. After just a few hours of fierce fighting, the Dutch surrendered Fort Nassau, and then the rest of the Bandas. The First Treaty of Paris, which ended this phase of the Napoleonic Wars, restored the Spice Islands to Dutch control in 1814. It could not restore the nutmeg monopoly, however - that particular cat was out of the bag. During their occupation of the East Indies, the British took nutmeg seedlings from the Bandas and planted them in various other tropical places under British colonial control. Nutmeg plantations sprang up in Singapore, Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka), Bencoolen (southwest Sumatra), and Penang (now in Malaysia). From there, they spread to Zanzibar, East Africa and the Caribbean islands of Grenada. With the nutmeg monopoly broken, the price of this once-precious commodity began to plummet. Soon middle-class Asians and Europeans could afford to sprinkle the spice on their holiday baked goods and add it to their curries. The bloody era of the Spice Wars came to an end, and nutmeg took its place as an ordinary occupant of the spice-rack in typical homes... an occupant, though, with an unusually dark and bloody history.

Bp Oil Spill - 1198 Words

BP Oil Spill Chait, J, (2010). Dear Leader. New Republic, 241(10), 2-2. Retrieve June 21, 2010, from Academic Search Premier. This article discusses the present oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The president’s has not changed the Minerals Management Service. In reality, the federal government has no agency tasked with capping undersea oil leaks. All the necessary equipment, along with the expertise for operating it, resides with the private sector. BP will likely bear the full cost of the spill; it has every incentive to deploy its equipment as aggressively as possible. I have seen nobody even attempt to argue, in either practical or theoretical terms, that the government could do a better job of plugging the leak. Crowley, M,†¦show more content†¦114 (20), 5-5. Retrieved June 21, 2010 from Academic Search Premier. The job of a risk manager is to hope for the best, be prepared but for the worst. That means putting emergency response systems in place to cope with a worst-case scenario. The situation remains out of control and the damage substantial— environmental, economic and political. Did BP shy away from expensive loss control measures because a worst-case scenario was so unlikely? Englund, W. (2010 May 26). Oil- Slick Stars. National Journal. Retrieved June 21, 2010, from http://nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/ This article refers to the Gulf oil spill reached its don t-just-stand-there moment. . Every day, the White House responded with updates and briefings. The White House has belatedly gotten the message, announcing new drilling regulations and scheduling the president s second trip to the Gulf on Friday. (2010 May 27) Spillover, New Republic. Retrieved June 21, 2010, from http://www.thenewrepublic.com IN LATE APRIL, when a deadly explosion sank the Deepwater Horizon oil rig 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana, few thought the incident could turn into one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. As the oil slick creeps toward the coast, it could inflict billions of dollars in damage on the local fishing and tourism industries, while putting various wildlife refuges at risk. All of a sudden, Congress is perking up. Missing from this dustup has been leadership fromShow MoreRelatedThe Bp Oil Spill Crisis1879 Words   |  8 Pagesuse British Petroleum’s (BP) Oil Spill in the Gulf Coast during 2010. The BP Oil Spill was a crisis and the BP company responded to the event with socially responsible leadership style. We ultimately chose it because it was interesting. When it came to research, we all tried to find different articles on our own to get some general knowledge on the spill. 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Raw- Power Free Essays

It could be from being born into families with royalty or wealth, or having the ability to influence or control the behavior of a person. Power is a fundamental theme throughout the novel â€Å"Raw† as It Is outlined in the novel by quoting â€Å"Concentration camps† and â€Å"Gun-toting guards†. Through this, It Is evident that Brett equates power with these Images but by the end of the novel, he learns that power is not merely vested Institutions but may come from within. We will write a custom essay sample on Raw- Power or any similar topic only for you Order Now The theme of power is first introduced In the story when the author uses symbolism. From the quote â€Å"the red and blue lights of a police car†, we witness the tension between the individual and the powerful authorities. The theme of power Is also highlighted In the novel when the police do not call young offenders Like Brett by their own name. â€Å"This one†, â€Å"Pigs†, â€Å"No hoppers†, â€Å"The prisoner† are Indeed language used by both authorities and offenders, Indicates much about attitude and deserve close attention. The police are spoken In derogative terms and the police also do the same. Names do matter but in the novel, we see that the individuals are reduced to types. By not using names, the individual is more demoralized and a more powerful stance may be achieved. Although it seems like all power comes from the authority, Tyson and the others also offer another source of power. This can be seen when Brett quotes â€Å"l don’t think this is working†. Through this, it is evident that Tyson provides illegitimate power in that they are powerful through sheer force and aggression. Their presence seems to suggest to Brett that reform institutions so not work. Monk also tries to offer a more realistic image of the institution. â€Å"Even in here he couldn’t escape†, demonstrates that the drug dealing continues. While there may be flaws in the system, individuals such as Sam are genuine in their efforts to provide a second chance for offenders who have previously been in trouble with society. Monk also offers a real setting which does fail for some individuals such as Tyson. This makes Beret’s possible bright future all the more a victory. How to cite Raw- Power, Papers

Raw- Power Free Essays

It could be from being born into families with royalty or wealth, or having the ability to influence or control the behavior of a person. Power is a fundamental theme throughout the novel â€Å"Raw† as It Is outlined in the novel by quoting â€Å"Concentration camps† and â€Å"Gun-toting guards†. Through this, It Is evident that Brett equates power with these Images but by the end of the novel, he learns that power is not merely vested Institutions but may come from within. We will write a custom essay sample on Raw- Power or any similar topic only for you Order Now The theme of power is first introduced In the story when the author uses symbolism. From the quote â€Å"the red and blue lights of a police car†, we witness the tension between the individual and the powerful authorities. The theme of power Is also highlighted In the novel when the police do not call young offenders Like Brett by their own name. â€Å"This one†, â€Å"Pigs†, â€Å"No hoppers†, â€Å"The prisoner† are Indeed language used by both authorities and offenders, Indicates much about attitude and deserve close attention. The police are spoken In derogative terms and the police also do the same. Names do matter but in the novel, we see that the individuals are reduced to types. By not using names, the individual is more demoralized and a more powerful stance may be achieved. Although it seems like all power comes from the authority, Tyson and the others also offer another source of power. This can be seen when Brett quotes â€Å"l don’t think this is working†. Through this, it is evident that Tyson provides illegitimate power in that they are powerful through sheer force and aggression. Their presence seems to suggest to Brett that reform institutions so not work. Monk also tries to offer a more realistic image of the institution. â€Å"Even in here he couldn’t escape†, demonstrates that the drug dealing continues. While there may be flaws in the system, individuals such as Sam are genuine in their efforts to provide a second chance for offenders who have previously been in trouble with society. Monk also offers a real setting which does fail for some individuals such as Tyson. This makes Beret’s possible bright future all the more a victory. How to cite Raw- Power, Papers