Maluku is a delightful group of islands in the eastern part of Indonesia. They straddle the equator directly right of Sulawesi. This part of the world is said to have been the spark that ignited European colonialism. Nutmeg, in the 16th century, was worth its weight in gold in Europe, but here it cost next to nothing. The Banda islands in the south of Maluku province had nutmeg in abundance, growing wild, and it was the only place in the world! The profit potential for trading the spice back home, soon resulted in a long spate of colonial struggles between the Dutch, the Portuguese and the Spanish. A final player arrived in the area last of all: Britain. The British, though, went one step further than their European rivals. They actually smuggled nutmeg 'seeds' out of
... read more
