Tuesday 6 August Nutmeg plantation

Banda islands are known for their nutmeg. The Portuguese came here first in 1512 but it was the Dutch East Indies company which exploited and exported the valuable spice in the 17^th century. Today the plantations on Banda Besar (big island) are nominally owned by the government and farmed by the local people at 30% tax.

Andy our guide took us the short distance across the channel to Banda Besar by local fishing boat and then we walked up to the plantations. The area is small, about 5kms square and each family has a plot. For every 15 nutmeg trees which are small and slim there's one large almond tree (they are the size of horse chestnut trees) which shade the delicate nutmegs below. Andy speaks good English and answered all our questions, gave us the mace from the outside of the nut to taste and then fresh nutmeg, more moist and cork like then the dried fruit we use in cooking.

affluent nutmeg village

nutmeg fruit