How did cloves, nutmeg, pepper, and cinnamon change world history?
The 16th century Age of Exploration,
A spice scramble filled with the flavors of adventure and the aroma of greed.
“The history of spices is not simply the history of taste.

“A good book that enriches our intellect and heart.”
_Sim Yong-hwan (historian)

What's the most valuable company in human history? Apple? Microsoft? It's the Dutch East India Company, founded in 1602.
It was a massive organization with bases across the globe, including Asia, Africa, and the Americas, and employed millions of people. At its peak, its market capitalization was a staggering $8.3 trillion in today's currency.
Apple and Microsoft combined will be worth $6.4 trillion (as of August 2024), giving you an idea of ​​how massive this is.
However, in 1800, it suddenly declared bankruptcy and was dissolved.
The reasons for the collapse of this powerful company, which lasted for nearly 200 years, were complex, but one of them was its defeat in the Spice Wars against the British East India Company.

In medieval Europe, where culinary culture was not developed, spices such as cloves, nutmeg, pepper, and cinnamon were very rare and luxurious items.
So the spice trade was the goose that laid the golden eggs.
Because a grain of pepper was more expensive than a pearl, it brought investors tens or hundreds of times the profits.
Cloves and nutmeg, which were especially popular, were produced only in the Maluku Islands (also known as the Spice Islands) located in the Indonesian Peninsula.
So whoever secured this trade route and, furthermore, took control of the region itself, could seize enormous wealth and maritime supremacy.
The Spice Wars were fierce competitions between European powers over the Maluku Islands.
The new book, "The Spice Wars," is a historical textbook that dramatically recounts the history of culture, economy, society, politics, war, and adventure surrounding spices.

The author of this book has been doing business and traveling to over 80 countries for over 30 years.
Among them, while working in countries that were major spice producing regions and were under European colonial rule, such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Eritrea, and India, I personally experienced the history and culture of those countries and became completely captivated by the allure of spices.
The author, who developed a great curiosity about spices, decided to become an independent researcher studying the history of spices.
While researching the history of the spice trade through foreign books and online information, I learned that spices not only changed our taste buds, but also the course of world history.

For example, the voyages of explorers to open spice trade routes led to the first circumnavigation of the world, the discovery of America, and the opening of the Northern Sea Route, which laid the foundation for globalization.
The East India Company, which was founded to monopolize the spice trade, was the world's first joint-stock company.
The European East India Companies marked the beginning of full-scale imperialism by occupying and colonizing parts of Asia.
In this way, human desire and greed for spices gave birth to countless adventures and myths, and sometimes became the starting point of trade and war.


The Spice Wars is a thrilling and exciting story about the fierce battle between European powers over the Spice Islands and the exploitation of the islanders who lost their homes and lives as a result.
It is also full of useful information, such as the spice thief Poivre, Hamel, the protagonist of Hamel's Journal who was an employee of the Dutch East India Company, Ralph Fitch, the spice merchant who appears in Shakespeare's work, the difference between cinnamon and cassia, and the characteristics of the world's three major scents: ambergris, musk, and agarwood.
Thanks to this, both adult and young readers will be able to enjoy the fun and excitement of watching a scene from a historical drama or a strategy simulation game.
It also allows us to look at world history from a new perspective.

The first person to discover a sea route to India was Vasco da Gama.
He sailed 42,000 kilometers over two years before returning to Lisbon via India, his destination.
They set sail with 170 men on four ships, but when they returned home, only two ships and 55 survivors remained.
So why did Vasco da Gama undertake such a reckless voyage? Why did the Portuguese king invest so heavily in an adventure that bordered on gambling?

Since Columbus and Vasco da Gama, many ships have left Spanish and Portuguese ports.
A century later, explorations followed in the Netherlands and England.
Many people died during the voyage, but they did not stop their adventure.
There must have been many reasons why they risked their lives to go to India, but one of them was spices.
What Columbus ultimately failed to find was pepper, the spice that Europeans were crazy about.

--- p.17~18

The Spice Islands are islands in the sea known as Maluku or Molucca.
From Malacca, going southeast through the strait, you reach the Java Sea between Borneo and Java Island.
From there, go east and go north along the island of Sulawesi, and that is the Maluku Sea.
Over the years, countless Europeans have tried to find this place.
After building a fleet and passing the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa, they had to endure months of being stuck in a windless zone, and they had to suffer from unpredictable storms near the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa.
It wasn't just the weather that plagued them.
He continued his voyage, dying from an illness (scurvy) of unknown cause at the time.
In the early 16th century, Portuguese and Spanish fleets took these risks, as did Dutch and English fleets a century later.

--- p.38~39

It is said that the number of ships owned by Dutch merchants at that time was greater than that of all other European countries combined.
Rotterdam in the Netherlands served as a hub for European shipping, not only in the 16th and 17th centuries, but even today.
A significant portion of Russian cargo is shipped to the port of Rotterdam.
Geographically, it is adjacent to the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, making it very advantageous for trade.
Towards the north lies the North Sea, which connects Britain and Scandinavia, and towards the continent lies between France and Germany, with access to the Iberian Peninsula by land and sea.
By land, it connects Eastern Europe to Russia.
This means that all transportation is possible, including the North Sea, the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea, and even land transportation.
A large number of ships means that the shipbuilding industry is developed.
At that time, the cost of building Dutch ships was less than half that of the British.
Because the standardization work, which is the basis of mass production, was done ahead of time, costs were reduced and design capabilities were also excellent.

--- p.61

Let's take a moment to learn about Francis Drake, who is revered as the hero of the Battle of Calais.
If you look at his profile, you'll see that he's a soldier, pirate, captain, adventurer, and knight.
The most famous battle he participated in was the Battle of Calais, and he also participated in several smaller battles with Spain.
Piracy, the plundering of Spanish merchant ships in the Caribbean, was also a major activity.
Circumnavigating the world was also an important achievement, as historically Ferdinand Magellan was the first to circumnavigate the globe (in fact, he died in the Philippines before completing the journey), and Drake was the second (though he would have been the first if it had been done perfectly).
By comparison, Magellan sailed to the Maluku Islands in search of spices, while Drake circumnavigated the world searching for Spanish merchant ships with the goal of plundering.
Magellan may have used his telescope from the deck of his Pacific voyage to find land, and Drake may have used his telescope to find Spanish galleons.
Drake's circumnavigation of the world began in 1577 in Plymouth, a port city in southwestern England, and ended in 1580.

--- p.76~77

Barents, which was advancing north of Novaya Zemlya, eventually became trapped in the ice.
The team consisted of 16 sailors and one boy servant.
The Barents party disembarked from the ship in the unbearable cold.
They made a home on the island of Novaya Zemlya, built a hut with planks taken from the deck, and survived for eight months.
The following June, when the ice had melted somewhat, they escaped in a lifeboat.
Several had already died and Barents was seriously ill.
A week after his escape, Barents died on an ice island.
The remaining survivors met Russian fishermen along the way, obtained food, and sailed 1,000 kilometers by oars.
When they reached the Kola Peninsula in Murmansk, they were fortunately rescued by a Dutch ship.
The hut where they lived while trapped in the ice was discovered by a Norwegian hunter in 1871, 170 years later.
Surprisingly, Barents's logbook was preserved there, and it was so detailed that it described the route and weather conditions, making it an invaluable resource for explorers.
--- p.126~128

In the beginning, there was a lot of friction with the locals.
It was mostly a misunderstanding due to cultural differences, but as two generations passed, an atmosphere of coexistence naturally took hold.
Ambon is located between Ternate and Tidore, the clove producing regions, and the Banda Islands, the nutmeg producing regions.
Moreover, a local broker personally brought the items to me.
The wind direction in the Banda Sea was unpredictable and the waves were frequent, so it was by no means a comfortable sea route.
There was no reason to take risks.

The Portuguese initially attempted to trade directly with several islands in the Banda Archipelago, but were met with a poor welcome and even suffered the murder of several people.
The locals were instinctively hostile to white people, including the Portuguese.
I was sick and tired of all the lies and deception.
Then, one day in 1605, a Dutch ship appeared in Ambon.
A ship that looked like a galleon appeared on the horizon and gradually approached the shore.
Even at first glance, its majesty was impressive.
Before I could even count how many masts were under sail, I could see the cannons gaping open beneath the deck.
The soldiers standing on the deck with muskets slung around their shoulders looked quite menacing.
Another ship appeared on the horizon.
And then another ship, and then another ship… .
On this day, nine Dutch ships entered Ambon.
All anyone could do was stare open-mouthed at the Portuguese commander as he approached the large ship.

--- p.159

In October 1616, John Jourdain, chief sales officer of the British East India Company in Banten, appointed Nathaniel Cotehope as commander and dispatched two ships, the Swan and the Defence, to Run Island in Banda.
Run Island was the only island in the Maluku and Banda Seas that remained outside the Dutch East India Company's monopoly.
It was the only hope left after the island of Aisle, seven kilometers off the coast of Run Island, fell into Dutch hands.
It is the smallest island in the Banda Archipelago and cannot be marked on most maps, but the entire island is covered with nutmeg trees, so the production is considerable.
The British East India Company decided to defend Run Island, its last stronghold in the Banda Sea.
(syncopation)

“There is a way, but I am afraid you will misunderstand,” said Kothoff when they were in a difficult situation.
"What's the method? A misunderstanding? That's ridiculous.
“Just say the word.” The orangkayas’ ears perked up at the thought that there was a way.

“The way is for you all to become subjects of our British King.
This island is ceded to the King of England, and you become subjects of His Majesty the King.
“Then His Majesty the King will fight to protect you from your enemies,” said Kothoff firmly.

--- p.194~197

In this conquest, 2,500 people were shot dead or starved to death.
There were countless people who jumped off cliffs, saying they would rather commit suicide than surrender.
Fewer than 300 people barely managed to escape to a nearby island and survive.
As a result, only about 1,000 of the estimated 15,000 Banda Islands population survived, and some were sent to Batavia as slaves.
However, many of them also died during the voyage.
From Banda to Batavia, it is a distance that can only be reached by sailing across Dalpo.
(syncopation)

Personally, I had to stop writing this story for almost three weeks.
The atrocities committed by Europeans were not limited to the Banda Islands.
In addition to the genocide of the Incas in the Americas and the slave hunts throughout Africa, there are many others.
Among them, the story of the Bandains who fought and perished like butterflies rushing toward the light was particularly heartbreaking.
For reference, there are currently about 700 ethnic groups with different languages ​​living together in Indonesia.
When I was staying in Jakarta, my senior, Mr. Shin, told me this story after visiting the Irian Jaya region of New Guinea.
They said that even if you just go over the hill right next to it, communication with the neighboring village is impossible because their language is different.
It was hard to believe at the time, but it was probably true.

--- p.227~228

Cromwell was startled.
The once-thriving East India Company is now bankrupt! Since dissolving Parliament and seizing power in 1653, the company has been ignoring various proposals for approval, saying, "You rich bastards, why are you so greedy? Just get on with your work. What's the point of India?"
To do as the petition requested, navigation ordinances had to be enacted and business licenses had to be granted.
However, the Navigation Ordinance was very likely to be a cause of diplomatic disputes with other countries, and the patent gave the company the right to wage war on Indian territory.
In other words, it was a matter of handing over all diplomatic rights, including possession of military forces, declaration of war, and occupation of territory.
If it had been a monarchy, it would have been up to the king to decide, but since it was a republic without a king, Cromwell could not grant such special privileges.
I don't know if it would be possible in Congress.
When Cromwell heard the news that the East India Company had gone bankrupt, he persuaded the parliament, which was half on his side, to approve the petition.
William Cockayne's drastic prescription worked.

--- p.243

The British doctor, concerned that the wound would fester and endanger his life, amputated Poivre's arm.
And he was dropped off in Batavia, Dutch Indonesia.
While receiving treatment there, I was amazed to witness the vibrant spice trade scene.
Ships from many countries came and went from the port of Batavia, all loaded with spices.
Ships from Japan, China, Siam (Thailand), Bengal, Malabar, Sri Lanka, and Sumatra were seen.
Above all, I was amazed by the wealth of the Dutch merchants.
Most of them became very wealthy through the clove trade in Maluku and the nutmeg trade in the Banda Islands.
And I also learned how strictly the Netherlands controls the export of seeds and seedlings of these crops.
(syncopation)

“Cloves and nutmeg aren’t necessarily found only in places they control.
Do you know how large a region Maluku and Banda are?” Poivre now knew the path he had to take and he was determined to give his life for it.
It was a matter of stealing cloves and nutmeg trees.

--- p.265~266

The British drove out the Dutch and occupied Maluku and Banda.
The nutmeg of Ternate and Tidore, Ambon, and all the islands of the Banda, a region which the Dutch had defended with all their might for more than two centuries, was now in the hands of the British.
So what should the British do now? Britain had no intention of occupying and colonizing this place permanently.
Spices were no longer the goose that laid the golden eggs.
Prices had dropped significantly, new spices had been discovered, and cooking methods had changed.
Britain was developing other profitable products besides spices.
It was clear what Britain had to do, as it would eventually leave the area.

It was to transplant cloves and nutmeg into their colonies.
First, the Malay Peninsula, which was firmly under British control, was considered.
Governor Raffles of Singapore was a politician and botanist who knew this well.
He actively supported businessmen by providing them with land and funds to establish farms.
As a result, Singapore and Penang Island became new spice hubs.
Pinang Island was where Raffles worked before becoming the acting governor of Java, so he was familiar with the local situation.
This broke the Dutch East Indies spice monopoly.
Spice cultivation spread throughout many tropical regions of the world.

--- p.279~280