A substantial, beautifully illustrated guide to the history of nutmeg and its use
Profusely illustrated with pictures of decorative antique graters, pomanders and spice containers
Offers a detailed account of nutmeg in the Spice Islands, the Caribbean, and the West
A vital reference work for collectors, antique dealers and auctioneers
Once, nutmeg was worth its weight in gold. For much of human history, the tiny Banda Islands in Indonesia were the only source of this esteemed spice. From the age of the Silk Roads through to the mid-19th century partial shift of production to the Caribbean, covering battles between the Honourable East India Company and the Dutch Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, this book traces the story of nutmeg, revealing its extensive and often surprising influence over conflict, politics, social mores, and Western society.
Beautiful antique silver, gold, enamel, bone, ivory, treen and Tunbridgeware graters and rasps demonstrate how much nutmeg was valued throughout history. This book gathers pictures of some of the finest examples world-wide, alongside mechanical and base metal graters and spice containers. It illustrates, and provides useful informationon, the history of pomanders which were associated with nutmeg, as this spice was once thought to ward off pestilence and plague.
Combining the social history of nutmeg with explanations of the spice production and transportation process, and illustrating in detail examples in international nutmeg grater collections and museums, this book is the essential reference work for collectors, antique dealers and auctioneers.