Nutmeg, Mace, and the Four Small Islands that Changed the World
Please “Like” if you enjoy the video, subscribe to the channel, and turn on notifications!
–
From the world’s first stock market, to the voyage of Magellan to the trade that sent Manhattan to the English, the Banda Islands have made an imprint on everything- even though they’re just a few tiny rocks in the far reaches of the Pacific. And they’re still there, so entirely forgotten that cannons still lie in the streets where they were left behind, hundreds of years ago. For five days, we’re on the trip of a lifetime, sailing in a rebuilt spice trading vessel to the Banda Islands. In this documentary we explore the four primary nutmeg-growing islands, tour the abandoned forts and old plantations and meet the last remaining Perkenier- a direct descendant of the first nutmeg farmer who arrived from the Netherlands in 1621.
–
Please consider supporting OTR on Patreon and thanks so much to anyone who does; your support truly keeps us going. http://www.patreon.com/OTRontheroad
Website: http://www.OTRontheroad.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/otr.offtherails/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D
–
0:00 – Introduction
1:16 – Spice
3:26 – The Journey Begins
7:43 – The Search for the East Indies
10:10 – Sunrise in the Bandas
13:03 – Pulau Rhun
18:00 – Nutmeg and Mace
20:19 – Nathaniel
23:57 – Prana
26:04 – Pulau Ai
28:45 – The First Stock Market
32:05 – Perkens
36:02 – Just a Spice
40:20 – Life On the Water
43:53 – Banda Neira
46:35 – The Orang Kaya
50:07 – May 8, 1621
57:12 – Aftermath
1:01:47 – The Wrath of the Gods
1:05:01 – The Spy
1:09:43 – After the Monopoly
1:13:12 – The Last Perkenier
1:17:10 – Legacy and Perspective
1:20:54 – The van den Broucke Massacre
1:30:44 – Recovery
1:33:46 – The Toll
1:35:26 – Hope
1:38:56 – Pulau Nailaka
1:41:31 – The People of the Bandas
1:46:31 – A Proper Send-Off
1:48:17 – Credits
1:48:47 – An OTR Announcement
–
YouTube Credits:
22 Comments
A couple notes including information on the 2026 trip (watch through the post-credits for an explanation)
– First, anyone who plans to try to make the trek to the Bandas, I'm not sure the logistics of traveling via public ferry but Aba should be a good resource. He also owns a nice hotel in Banda Neira. https://cilubintang.com/ is his website. If you want to make the trip independently, my best suggestion would be to reach out to Aba (unless you're planning it as a diving trip; there are several companies that specialize in dive charters to the Bandas, easy enough to find on Google).
– As mentioned in the post-credits, Acland and Simon have booked two Banda trips on the Prana for this October (the only window when safe and easy travel is viable). They will host one as always- the second one they've graciously invited Daria and I to take their place as the hosts as they have other obligations (with their restaurant- see next bulletpoint). We'll be visiting all the spots seen in this video plus a ton more that didn't make the edit, on the same incredible boat. Please be aware, this boat is extremely expensive to charter; it's a very "boutique" trip and limited to only 16 guests per year (32 this year given the two trips planned). This is not an OTR trip and we're not involved in the business end; it's a Toursmith operation, we're just jumping at the amazing chance to go back and host this expedition and hopefully get to bring some of you along. Here's the link: https://www.toursmith.com.au/tours/OTR …I believe meet-up will be in Ambon, but for all details please contact Toursmith. I hope to see you this October!
– Finally- Acland and Simon, as mentioned in the video, organize these tours as a fun hobby to bring people along to share their love of food history. Their real "day jobs" are with a Thai/pan-Asian restaurant in Australia's Sunshine Coast called Spirit House. If you find yourself in that area- I've heard it's great. Catch Simon for a cooking class. https://maps.app.goo.gl/pkdLMn6VzYWq6jTo8
Absolutely wonderful interviews and history, informative and artistically articulated.. good stuff… makes me want something with nutmeg
I have never seen anything quite like this. Thank you.
This is just incredible. The people, the stories, the production. I've been watching for a year or so, but this pushed me to join on Patreon. My only disappointment is not seeing Adam try the nutmeg candy.
You are amazing as is your curiosity explore the world. Unique !! Thank you for all. If you come to Connecticut, I doubt you would find the food very interesting, hamburgers are everywhere followed by pizza.
You do such an extraordinary job on your “histories!” You tell the truth, no spin and then let the people tell their stories. It is NOT as black and white as many revisionist historians would like us to think. In truth, it is what it is and we can’t change it – but we should know and learn from it. It’s truly inspiring and challenges us all to be better . . . without any lectures or blame.
I’ll never grate a nutmeg again without thanking Pongky for all his sacrifices as well as sending up a little prayer for his family.
The ingredients are just the icing on the cake!
Just got back from a long holiday and a 2 hour OTR – bliss!
Thank you so much for this!! Cant wait to watch it. My wife is Moluccan and I have Javanese and Moluccan heritage.
Phenomenal work, as always.
I know you guys probably have a million and one ideas for videos at this point . . . But if I could suggest some of be very interested in?
History of dumplings
History of beer
History of ginger / tumeric
At 25:00, where is a school of hungry sharks when you really need them? 🤔😉
Were most if the trees on Rhun cut down in order to provide firewood for smoking the nutmeg harvested on Ai Island?
At 28:30, a Masonic symbol on the cannon?
It looks amazing, How do you book a cruise like this ??
You don't seem to provide a link to the cruise line…!
Perhaps my favorite youtube channel and certainly favorite cooking show. Really one upped the channel on this one. Wishing you more fame and the fortune to take your passion for culinary history further, you deserve it. Thanks man.
Kudos to "Pongky"! His life story is truly inspirational 😉
One of the best documentaries I've seen. 🇨🇦
Nootmuskaat (nutmeg) is a popular spice in the Netherlands and much used in Dutch cuisine. Spices from the Dutch East Indies, aka "the Spice Islands," together with an early industrial revolution, enriched Holland and funded the Dutch Golden Age.
You said: "The history books are lined with stories about saffron and cardamom, cloves and frankincense, but none held the value of nutmeg," This is incorrect.
Nutmeg was briefly extremely lucrative in early modern Europe due to Dutch monopoly and artificial scarcity, but saying “none held the value of nutmeg” isn’t accurate. Saffron consistently exceeded nutmeg in price by weight, pepper dwarfed it in total economic importance and trade volume, and cinnamon rivaled it in prestige and price depending on period.
Thank you thank you for this wonderful tour through the Spice Islands history, it's people and the beautiful ship that took you there. A marvelous journey so well documented. I've learned so much about the spices I use everyday. I'll always think of the people of the Islands now when I use nutmeg, mace and cloves.
As Filipino, i bet not many Filipino knew that the main purpose of Ferdinand Magellan travelling across the world were to go to "Spice Islands" in Indonesia and found nowadays Philippines accidentally
great video but turn down the loud wailing music 😂
Great and fascinating video, from Australia and always been interested to get to Banda knowing the history and interest in spices. Our transplanted European view here has all the exotic view of spice islands as far away, but they are far closer to us in reality. We hvae anative Nutmeg tree in Australia, called Myristica insipida in obvious reference to it's inferior qualities.
Great story telling and cinematography in this and stories of the locals
MY understanding is the term 'perks' in English comes from the perkiniers of Banda, given farms and workers when drafted from the Netherlands by the VOC to manage the Nutmeg plantations
More interested to visit than ever after this, but obviously a bit of an adventure to get there even from closer here in Australia, which I hope it remains so.