How valuable was Nutmeg in the 13th Century?
What legends surrounded this spice?
Nutmeg in the time period comes from Indonesia, and the trade is controlled by Arab merchants. They deliberately conceal the origins of where their finest spices come from, so they’ve probably made up exotic stories as to how they traded for it. (I’m sure I’ve read in one Ars sourcebook about Egyptians disguising where something came from, but I can’t remember which good it was).
It will be valuable, because it’s an exotic spice and it’s come a long way via at least two intermediaries (Arab traders and then a Venetian or Genoan merchant).
I found this lecture which gives a broad overview of medieval and early modern spice trading and in the table at the bottom says in 1438-9 a pound of mace (the outer skin of a nutmeg, so will have travelled the same route) would cost 6 days wages for a master carpenter or about 36 english denarii. The classic medieval price list estimates 1-3 shillings per pound of spice.
1 Like
So, make up something fantastic but plausible.
It comes from the nut of a tree that grows more closely to the flaming ring of the equator than any other. We of the temperate realms cannot survive here for long, and it is collected by a local tribe that resists such roasting temperatures. It is then packed overland for many leagues before coming into the one market where we, servants of Allah and humble explorers of the far corners of His Creation, are able to buy it at a high price. Then we must ship it through a vast and stormy ocean, the most dangerous of the seas, where only three ships in ten can pass, then again overland through the Holy Lands, and in the course of time and trade, this nutmeg is brought to market in your charming and pleasant country.
3 Likes
I know that the actual spice has psychotropic properties, and that during the Black Death period (about a Century after most Sagas start), it was in high demand due to rumours it prevented the plague.
But I haven’t heard what was said about Nutmeg before the Black Death.
He who controls the Nutmeg, controls the world!
The idea that a spice may induce visions or second sight is interesting.
3 Likes
The word "nutmeg" comes from the Latin "nux muscata," meaning "musky nut. Ingesting too much nutmeg can cause hallucinations, nausea, and even temporary psychosis. The two compounds responsible for the effect are myristicin and elemicin. These are naturally occurring chemicals that, when consumed together in large amounts, can seriously mess with your head. Myristicin is chemically similar to MDMA, while elemicin has been used in the synthesis of mescaline.
Thankfully, the teaspoon called for in most baking recipes is harmless. But according to toxicologists, ingesting two tablespoons or more can lead to a very unpleasant hallucinogenic experience. Symptoms include visual distortions, vomiting, dizziness, anxiety, and extreme drowsiness. Worse, the effects take several hours to kick in and can last for days, making it one of the worst trips imaginable. Nutmeg intoxication is rarely fatal (there are only two known deaths linked to it), but it can cause convulsions, heart palpitations, and serious discomfort.
1 Like
Ah. Nutmeg is faerie food.
A nut that that is enchanted by a witch called Meg?
1 Like
I’d just quickly note a plot hook: there’s a (later) genocide attached to nutmeg. The Dutch completely wipe out the local population of the Moluccas (the Banda) and replace it, to prevent the knowledge of how to grow nutmeg and mace from escaping the Spice Islands. They also boil the nutmegs in a sterilizing agent to make sure they can’t be planted anywhere else. So, you’re using nutmegs, and they suddenly start being infernally tainted. Perhaps someone did the genocide early and now there’s this moral poison in much of the richer food in Europe.
1 Like
The later conquest of the Banda by the Dutch is in the 1600s, for those curious.
2 Likes