3,500 years ago
On one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia, archaeologists found nutmeg residue on pottery shards; they were estimated to be 3,500 years old. Figuring out the history of nutmeg will help the archaeologists understand how the spice trade evolved. By the 1300s, traders referred to the Banda Islands as the “Spice Islands”, because they were supposedly the only place nutmeg was known to grow. At some point, nutmeg became more valuable than gold. In the 1600s, that desire for the spice is what drove contact with the Americas. The Dutch wanted nutmeg so badly that they traded their colony of New Amsterdam to the British in exchange for Pulau Run; a nutmeg-producing Banda Island that was under British control. The colony later became the colony of New York. It stayed apart of the Dutch colonies until the mid-20th century.
Now
It’s interesting to see how crazy people were about nutmeg then and now. Pumpkin Spice is the obsession every fall. Everything, whether it’s food or cleaning products, rolls out a ‘pumpkin spice flavor’. Here’s a “small” list of the different things you can find on the shelves during this time of year:
- Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks
- Coffee Mate Pumpkin Spice Creamer
- Pumpkin Spice Almonds
- Caramel Almond Pumpkin Spice Kind Bars
- Pumpkin Spice RX Bar
- Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter
- Pumpkin Spice Special K
- Pumpkin Spice Cheerios
- Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts
- Pumpkin Spice Bagel and English Muffin
- Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls
- Pumpkin Spice Greenies Dog Treats…..
What’s the craziest thing you found on the list? Did I mention that there are also Pumpkin Spice house cleaners???