豆蔻的故事

Author: Low Kah Meng

Penang, is also known as Pulau Pinang, is where we visitors expect to know some stories about Areca catechu. However, unexpectedly, in the city, our tour guide took us to “check in” at the largest nutmeg statue in all of Malaysia! Later, due to a change in the itinerary and a fortunate turn of events, we ended up visiting the Ghee Hup Nutmeg Factory located in the western part of Penang Island, near the South Heavenly Gate on the back of Mount Pulau Pinang. It was then we discovered that besides Areca catechu, Penang Island was famous for nutmeg, too!

The History of Nutmeg

Nutmeg has been recorded in many Chinese pharmacopoeias as a traditional medicine and spice, but there are various types. Scientifically speaking, the common name, cardamom, can refer to either white nutmeg or red nutmeg, while “red nutmeg” is the fruit of the greater galangal. Grass cardamom is called the Alpinia, while fragrant nutmeg is the Amomum.  And what we have been commonly calling “nutmeg” is more precisely referred to as “Myristica fragrans”. To align with the local terms, this article simply refers to it as “nutmeg”.

Nutmeg and cloves have been the leading figures in the spice war throughout history. For the past few centuries, they have been as valuable as gold. Nutmeg serves multiple purposes: possessing medicinal properties, becoming a preservative or an ingredient of gourmet cuisine, and serving as a spice. Every part of the nutmeg fruit can be used to its fullest extent. When you peel the nutmeg fruit and extract the seed, the fruit pulp can be dried and used as a spice. After peeling the fruit and processing it to eliminate its astringent flavor, it becomes a snack. The outer shell of the nutmeg seed shows distinctive patterns, with a layer of bright red aril, known as “nutmeg flowers”, which is the most valuable. Breaking the seed shell reveals a beautifully patterned kernel. Depending on the properties of each part, the nutmeg fruit can be made into different products, such as medicated oil, ointment, tea powder, and various food items. In the 16th and 17th centuries, wealthy and powerful Westerners even carried nutmeg kernels with them, bringing them out during meals to freshly grind and consume them to show off their wealth.

Nutmeg’s Connection with Singapore

Prior to the Middle Ages, the nutmeg market was monopolized by Arab traders, and the origins were kept as highly confidential. Later, major Western marine powers became involved in the trade. Portugal was the first to discover the Spice Islands where nutmeg and cloves were produced, known today as the Moluccas in the East Indies, followed by Spain. And then the Dutch East India Company joined the competition. In the 19th century, British and French colonial teams arrived.

Beyond the struggles among these major powers, this period was marked by ruthless colonial exploitation, inflicting great suffering on the indigenous people, and turning the Spice Islands into a living hell. During this period, the British also brought nutmeg to various regions for cultivation, with Grenada Island being the most successful.

After the British colonization of Penang, the British also tried local nutmeg cultivation, starting the history of nutmeg planting in Southeast Asia. In 1819, after Sir Stamford Raffles landed in Singapore, William Farquhar, who was then the Resident of Singapore, conducted planting experiments with this expensive cash crop on Fort Canning Hill. Farquhar had a keen interest in natural sciences and had previously hired an artist to have nutmeg painted when he served as an official in Malacca. Before the invention of color photography, the painting was the most detailed and exquisite drawing of nutmeg. The original artwork is currently kept in the National Museum.

The nutmeg tree planting experiments in Singapore were highly successful, which spurred a significant increase to the investment in nutmeg plantations. Its success and profitability far surpassed those of other crops like coffee, sugarcane, tea, and cotton, reaching its peak after 1830. In 1827, local newspapers even featured an article by professionals, teaching people how to plant nutmeg. It was reported that maintaining a nutmeg plantation with 1,000 trees required only seven laborers, 50 animals, and two sets of plowing equipment, indicating high yields of economic returns.

Unfortunately, this prosperous time was short-lived. An unidentified “canker fungus” began spreading in nutmeg plantations, stopping the affected trees from bearing fruits. Not a single nutmeg plantation in Singapore was spared. By 1850, there were barely any healthy nutmeg trees left on the entire island. Early nutmeg plantation owners managed to get out without any loss, but many speculative plantation owners went bankrupt. Nutmeg cultivation has thus faded into history.

Fort Canning’s Nutmeg Tree

In 1822, Sir Stamford Raffles opened an experimental spice garden on Government Hill, now known as Fort Canning Hill. He ordered 125 nutmeg trees planted and 1000 nutmeg seeds sowed, along with 450 clove trees and various other cash crops. As agriculture rapidly disappeared in the locality, the spice garden was left abandoned.

In recent years, the National Park Board has undertaken a revitalization project for Fort Canning Park. They have planted a variety of spices that were once a part of the nation’s founding history, bringing back the spice garden. This allows visitors to closely observe both male and female nutmeg fruits in the same tree. The female nutmeg fruit is smaller, with a single seed and a single horizontal stripe at the bottom, while the male fruit is larger, containing two seeds and a cross-shaped pattern. Only the female fruit can reproduce and carry on the family legacy.

Nutmeg Road and Orchard Road

Orchard in “Orchard Road” signifies a garden of fruits, but it would be more suitable to call it Nutmeg Garden since almost all nutmeg plantations were concentrated in this area in 1830. Although wealthy plantation owners later diversified their interests, many property assets remained there. Familiar names such as Oxley, Prinsep, Cuppage, Royal Plaza Cairnhill owned nutmeg plantations in the area. Other locations like Mount Faber, Dawson, Rochor and Tanglin also have nutmeg plantations.

With urban redevelopment, street names were changed. The once-thriving Nutmeg Garden of the 19th century is now reduced to only one large nutmeg statue on the side of ION Orchard and a narrow Nutmeg Road behind Lucky Plaza, commemorating the brief but glorious spice era.

（Translated by Jason Low Hui Yee, Cho Yew Yee, Heng Cho Fai from Maris Stella High School, Winning entry of the Chinese-English Translation Competition）

乌节路和豆蔻路 （图源：谷歌地图绘制）