Speedboats in the Caribbean. The Dragon’s Mouth. A national flag bearing a split fruit — Grenada is the only country in the world with a nutmeg on its flag.

Why would a spice sit at the heart of a nation’s identity?

Following that question pulls us back to the Banda Islands — and into older stories of trade, monopoly, resistance, and ambition. Companies acting like nations. Nations acting like corporations. Islands traded for other islands. Forts built. Routes redrawn. Power shifting hands across oceans.

Somewhere along the way, nutmeg becomes more than cargo. It becomes symbol, leverage, obsession.

Trad insists it has always been more than a spice — that it carries something psychological, even mystical. Courage. Empathy. Wealth. Control.

Is that history?

Or projection?

Episode 6 traces the movement of nutmeg across maps and empires — and asks what really transfers when we trade, and is there something we need to know about this spice contained in this golden apple?

One of Trad's Books, The Lost Piece of Peace can be bought here https://www.amazon.com.au/Lost-Piece-Peace-Tradittori-Trudittori/dp/1545290571

some links to get you involved...but we urge you to explore on your own, find the trail yourself... :)

Giles Milton — Nathaniel’s Nutmeg https://www.gilesmilton.com/historybooks/nathaniels-nutmeg
Amitav Ghosh — The Nutmeg’s Curse https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/N/bo125517349.htmlEncyclopaedia Britannica — Spice Trade.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/spice-trade
Encyclopaedia Britannica — Dutch East India Company (VOC)
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dutch-East-India-Company
Encyclopaedia Britannica — Treaty of Breda (1667)
https://www.britannica.com/event/Treaty-of-Breda
Encyclopaedia Britannica — Grenada https://www.britannica.com/place/Grenada

https://mamakan.com/press/138-the-nutty-story-of-nutmeg-myristica-fragrans/

https://new.artsmia.org/stories/17-days-two-curators-one-red-hot-asian-art-scene-part-ii-jogja/

https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1849/the-early-history-of-clove-nutmeg--mace/

Stay Tuned...this podcast covers seasons following Trade and empathy, Ecstasy and empathy, the empathy evolution of man and much, much more...it's going to be a wild ride. What's more, start with these links above and see where they take you!

Disclaimer
This podcast explores history, chemistry, cultural belief, and speculation.
It does not provide medical advice or advocate drug use.
Nutmeg contains the compound myristicin, which is not MDMA.
Historical medicinal claims reflect beliefs of their time, not modern science.
Some ideas presented are interpretive and are examined critically throughout the series.