AsianScientist (Oct. 15, 2018) – As all things pumpkin spice arrive in grocery store aisles and on restaurant menus, a study published in Asian Perspectives describes the earliest-known use of nutmeg as a food ingredient.
Found at an archaeological site on Pulau Ay, a small island in the Banda Islands, central Maluku, Indonesia, the nutmeg was found as residue on ceramic potsherds and is estimated to be 3,500 years old—about 2,000 years older than the previously known use of the spice.
The Pulau Ay archaeological site was occupied from 2,300 to 3,500 years ago, with animal bones, earthenware pottery, stone tools and post molds of possible housing structures found. The variety of artefacts discovered provides evidence of changes in how people utilized marine food resources, pottery and domestic animals over time.
Over the first 500 years at the site, people shifted from a predominately fish-based diet to primarily eating domesticated pigs. In addition, pottery was initially thin-walled vessels adapted for storage of liquids that may have allowed people to survive on this water-poor island. A few hundred years later, thicker-walled pottery better adapted for cooking appears along with pig bones.
“This site shows us how people adapted to living on these small tropical islands in stages, from occasional use as fishing camps to permanent occupation,” said Professor Peter Lape of the University of Washington, who led the study in collaboration with colleagues from Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia, the University of New South Wales in Australia and others.
“It’s also fascinating to see such early use of nutmeg, a spice that changed the world a few thousand years later.”
Understanding the origins of human use of nutmeg helps connect the dots to later international trades. By the 14th century (and possibly earlier), long-distance traders were traveling to Banda to obtain nutmeg; this valuable spice brought the Banda Islands international renown during the early modern era.
The find provides a new perspective on a key ingredient that is still a valuable commodity today—especially in a multi-billion dollar industry of fall-themed foods and beverages.
The article can be found at: Lape et al. (2018) New Data from an Open Neolithic Site in Eastern Indonesia.
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Source: University of Washington; Photo: Pixabay.
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