A lush lesson in spices

PENANG

Step back into the island’s illustrious past at the Tropical Spice Garden

Valery Garrett, traveller@newstoday.com.sg

A waterfall runs down the hillside at the Tropical Spice Garden.

Think of Penang and what comes to mind? Lazy days under palm trees, hawkers calling to passers-by to try their curries and always the scent of spices: Nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves.

Famous as one of the Spice Islands, the British founded a base here in the 18th century to grow this precious commodity. Now a short bus ride from Batu Ferringhi’s beach hotels, the award-winning Tropical Spice Garden celebrates Penang’s importance in producing these little seeds.

Brainchild of the son of a Chinese mother and an English rubber planter, Frederick Walker went to boarding school in Britain, graduating from the prestigious Royal Agricultural College. He and a partner opened the garden in November 2003.

Previously a small rubber plantation on a hillside overlooking the sea, Frederick struggled to clear over 40 rubber trees to form terraces and allow more light for plants.

View across the bay

Three trails wind through the 3-hectare garden: Yellow for Spices, red for Ornamental plants, and green for Jungle plants, each taking a leisurely 20 minutes. The paths are cool and shaded from the sun, meandering up and down the hillside with seats at intervals to rest and reflect on the garden’s beauty.

The air is infused with the pungent scent of crushed spices; hidden amid foliage of myriad shades of green, waterfalls trickle down the hill. Overhead is the koel bird’s incessant call.

There are over 500 exotic varieties of plants in the garden from tropical regions around the world. Given their importance, the spice plants look surprisingly insignificant.

Used nowadays mostly to improve flavour, spices in earlier times were vital in preserving foods and were part of many medicines. So, in centuries past, European sailors headed east in search of the legendary Spice Islands.

Dish of dried ginger, limes, pineapple flower, nutmeg, fresh turmeric, red ginger, betel nut and lemon grass.

Tropical Spice Garden Open: 9am to 6pm daily www.tropicalspicegarden.com

Spices can also be bought in the streets around Lebuh Pasar and Lebuh Penang in Georgetown.

In 1786, Captain Francis Light, a British East India Company trader, took possession of Penang and the Company formed a 53-hectare spice plantation in Ayer Itam valley, near the centre of the island.

Pepper was Penang’s first major crop, introduced in 1790 from Indonesia. One of the oldest and most valuable spices, its use as a currency in Roman times gave rise to the term “peppercorn rent”.

The Government Botanical Gardens were established in 1822 to supply seed for the Company’s plantations and vegetables for the officers’ tables. At the same time, private landowner David Brown had large plantations of nutmeg and cloves at his Glugor House estate south of Penang’s capital, Georgetown.

Dried nutmeg seeds produce the spice, while the outer skin is mace. Cloves come from dried, unopened flower buds, the oil used in perfumes and medicines. One of the most important spices grown in Penang, cloves were among the earliest and most valuable spices to be traded, used by ancient Egyptians and Romans to flavour food and freshen the breath.

There are edible plants on the Jungle trail too, like the palm, whose Malay name “pinang” was given to the island. The betel nut inside its fruit is mixed with lime, tobacco or cloves, wrapped in a leaf and chewed. The tamarind tree has long seed pods in a sticky brown pulp which go into making curries and chutneys. The cinnamon tree, one of the oldest spices, is mentioned in the Bible and ancient Sanskrit writings.

All three paths end at the hilltop Spice Museum which traces the trade’s history and houses displays of spices and harvesting equipment. Next door in the Spice Café, a one-time rubber planter’s home, freshly picked spices are sold in little packets. Sit and savour a selection of coffee and teas made from spices, ginger or lime, together with some home-made cakes, and enjoy tranquil views across the bay.

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Valery Garrett is the author of Discover Hong Kong, a City’s History and Culture Redefined, published by Marshall Cavendish.

SilkAir flies to Penang twice daily. For details, visit silkair.com

From TODAY, Traveller – Thursday, 11-Jun-2009

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