Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine April 2018 | Page 78

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Explore | Flavours
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The dried fruit is sold across the
archipelago, and nutmeg balsam is
a favourite for warming up the body
and alleviating congestion.
scented with lemongrass, lime leaves and
thin slices of nutmeg fruit. In Javanese beef
dishes, such as rawon, ground nutmeg lies in
the darkened broth. It appears in soups and
curries from island to island, some folk use it
in rendang, Sumatra’s award-winning dry
beef curry, and in Bali, a sliver is present in
base wangen, a traditional mix of fragrant
seeds and nuts.
The dried fruit is sold across the archipelago,
and nutmeg balsam is a favourite for warming
up the body and alleviating congestion. It also
appears in some sweet dishes, and my favourite
Dutch-style Speculaas biscuits are flavoured
with nutmeg alongside cloves and cinnamon.
In large doses, due to the presence of
myristicin, nutmeg is basically a poisonous
narcotic. In small quantities, it is said to
relieve pain, stimulate digestion, strengthen
cognitive function, and boost skin and gum
health, as well as the immune system.
But perhaps its greatest attribute is to
stimulate serotonin, which creates a feeling
of sedation. A glass of warm milk with grated
nutmeg will have you snoring like a grandpa.
A contrary conclusion to an aphrodisiac!
There’s something about being in a place
that’s played a major yet bloodied part in
history; it is hard not to be both intrigued
and saddened. I visited Rhun and climbed
the hill to see the abandoned stone cottage
of Nathaniel Courthope, who defended
the island against the Dutch for four years.
A giant portrait of the late Des Alwi, the
unofficial king of Banda Neira, is painted
on the school wall in the village.
I spent a morning on the nearby island of
Banda Besar. Our guide, Pongky van den
Broeke, walked us through his nutmeg
plantation, chatting about colonial history,
Indonesian independence and the cultivation
of the coveted spice. For 13 generations his
family has nurtured the business, and he still
practises their age-old techniques.
Pongky sliced open nutmeg fruits, revealing
the dazzling web of red mace, and showed
how it is stored and dried. His wife served
coffee and nutmeg biscuits, while his two
young daughters watched on, shyly.
For gastronomic gifts, Pongky and other
locals in Banda Neira sell nutmeg jam,
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nutmeg cookies, nutmeg syrup, preserved
fruit and other spice-infused treats. Around
80 per cent of the world’s nutmeg still comes
from Indonesia, and it is mainly used for
confectionery, drinks, spice mixes, perfume
and pharmaceutical products. It is also said
to be a secret ingredient in Coca-Cola.
Considered one of the last unspoiled natural
environments, the unique marine life and
coral reefs of Banda Neira provide some of the
best snorkelling and diving on the planet.
Undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau and shark
experts Ron and Valerie Taylor spent time
here, as did the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger,
Princess Diana and comedian Bill Bailey.
Some say, if it were not for nutmeg, the
world would not know about this exotic
settlement. In the meantime, Banda Neira
is slowly reawakening and getting ready
to enter a new global underwater race.
1 Freshly ground nutmeg.
2 Traditional nutmeg soup from Banda Neira
is simmered with sliced nutmeg fruit.