History’s Most Violent Seasoning: The Brutal Truth About Nutmeg and Cinnamon

Prepare to clutch your pumpkin spice latte a little tighter, friend, because today we’re diving into the chaotic, deadly, and surprisingly dramatic history of spice. Yes — that cozy sprinkle on your latte once launched wars, bankrupted empires, fueled colonization, and led to one of the worst genocides of the 1600s. Delicious!

In this episode, we explore how everyday seasonings like nutmeg, cinnamon, and black pepper sparked global conflict and reshaped world history. From the pepper-obsessed Portuguese to the Dutch colonizers who committed atrocities in the Banda Islands, the spice trade was anything but fragrant.

You’ll learn:

• Why black pepper was basically 17th-century Bitcoin

• How European explorers weren’t “discovering” anything except their own incompetence

• The wild propaganda Arabic traders used (giant birds! flying snakes!)

• The brutal rise of the Dutch East India Company (VOC)

• The horrific Banda Islands genocide and the 4-year Nutmeg War

• How smuggling spice plants undermined European monopolies

• And the absolutely iconic Buddha Tooth Bamboozle — the ultimate “you thought!” moment in colonial history

This episode is a chaotic cocktail of world history, women’s history, weird history, humor, and righteous rage. If you never look at your spice cabinet the same again… mission accomplished.

Call to Action: If you love a spicy historical deep dive, share the episode or leave a rating — we’re almost at our goal!

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Key Words

• history of spice

• spice trade history

• deadly spice trade

• nutmeg war

• Banda Islands genocide

• Dutch East India Company

• VOC history

• history of nutmeg

• history of black pepper

• colonialism and spices

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