The spices clove, nutmeg, and mace originated on only a handful of tiny islands in the Indonesian archipelago but came to have a dramatic, far-reaching impact on world trade. In antiquity, they became popular in the medicines of India and China, and they were a major component of European cuisine in the medieval period. European countries fought mightily for control of the spice trade.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original content at https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1849/the-early-history-of-clove-nutmeg--mace/.