merempahThe Indonesian spice atlas
Botanical plate of the nutmeg tree: leaves, flowers, the split fruit showing red mace around the seed
SpecimenNo. 001
Myristica fragrans Houtt.
FamilyMyristicaceae
LocalityBanda Islands, Maluku
Parts usedseed, aril
PlateKöhler, late 19th c.
A heap of dried andaliman berries

Andaliman

Batak pepper · Zanthoxylum acanthopodium
No. 012North Sumatra
citrus, numbingswap: Sichuan pepper
Botanical plate of the clove tree with flower buds

Clove

cengkeh · Syzygium aromaticum
No. 002North Maluku
sweet, numbingin: semur, gulai kambing
Botanical plate of the black pepper vine with fruit spikes

Black pepper

lada · Piper nigrum
No. 003Lampung
hot, woodyin: soto, sop
Botanical plate of the turmeric plant with its flower spike and rhizome

Turmeric

kunyit · Curcuma longa
No. 005rhizome, leaf
earthy, bitterin: soto, kuah kuning

The spice index

  1. 001Nutmeg & macepala & fuliMyristica fragransMaluku
  2. 002ClovecengkehSyzygium aromaticumNorth Maluku
  3. 003Black pepperladaPiper nigrumLampung
  4. 004CubebkemukusPiper cubebaJava
  5. 005TurmerickunyitCurcuma longa–
  6. 006GingerjaheZingiber officinaleAll islands
  7. 007GalangallengkuasAlpinia galangaBali
  8. 008Aromatic gingerkencurKaempferia galangaJava
  9. 009CandlenutkemiriAleurites moluccanusAll islands
  10. 010Indonesian bay leafdaun salamSyzygium polyanthumJava
  11. 011KluwakkeluakPangium eduleJava
  12. 012AndalimanBatak pepperZanthoxylum acanthopodiumNorth Sumatra
  13. 013Torch gingerkecombrangEtlingera elatiorSumatra, Java
  14. 014Cinnamonkayu manisCinnamomum burmanniKerinci, Jambi

Where they grow

Locality500 km at the equator
100°E110°E120°E130°E140°E5°N0°5°S10°SSumatraKalimantanSulawesiJavaPapuaAndaliman012Tapanuli, North SumatraCinnamon014Kerinci, JambiBlack pepper003LampungKluwak011JavaGalangal007Bali, in basa genepClove002Ternate & TidoreNutmeg & mace001Banda Islands
Select a pin to find the specimen.Map drawn by merempah from Natural Earth data (public domain)

Dish guides

All dish guides
A bowl of nearly black rawon beef soup

Rawon

East Java

Beef soup turned nearly black by kluwak, eaten with rice, salted egg and bean sprouts.

Kluwak 011Galangal 007Bay leaf 010
Photo: christian r, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Papeda sago porridge in a clay pot

Papeda & kuah kuning

Maluku & Papua

Glossy sago porridge with a sour yellow fish soup of turmeric, lime and lemon basil.

Turmeric 005Ginger 006
Photo: Gunawan Kartapranata, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Field Notes

Field Notes videos are coming to YouTube soonMap drawn from Natural Earth data

Stories in the works

Banda: the islands that grew the world's nutmeg

A small volcanic archipelago, and the tree that made it the world's only source of nutmeg.

Story · Banda IslandsRun, the nutmeg island in a deal over Manhattan

How a speck in the Banda Sea ended up in the same treaty as New Amsterdam.

Story · Banda IslandsKluwak: poisonous until it isn't

The seed that is boiled, then buried in ash or earth for weeks to ferment, before it can turn a soup black.

Story · Java