The Moluccas Islands, discerned by the distinctive appearance of their inhabitants, were initially inhabited by various nations. The Chinese are believed to be the first to discover and settle in these islands, considering their pioneering role in shipbuilding and navigation among Oriental civilizations. Although some argue that the Javanese were the initial navigators and the Moluccan inhabitants have Javanese roots, it is more likely that they originated from China. Chinese sailors, navigating these seas with their junks for centuries, reached and settled in these islands. Attracted by the pleasant climate, enticing scents, and fruitful land, they established themselves, particularly in areas indicated by names like Batochina de Moro and Bathocina (sic) de Muar, signifying regions populated by Chinese settlers. Similar toponyms are found in various parts of these islands, reinforcing the enduring memory of this Chinese influence, still evident in 1597.
Upon discovering these islands, the Chinese were drawn to the cloves produced there, a spice previously unknown to the world. Recognizing its fragrance, taste, and versatile qualities, they engaged in clove trade, transporting it along with Chinese porcelain and other riches to the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. This trade route passed through the hands of Persians and Arabs, eventually reaching Greeks and Romans. The appreciation and desire for cloves in Europe were such that certain Roman emperors contemplated conquering the East.
As these exotic products reached Europe through the Persians and Arabs, who received them from the Chinese, the Persians and Arabs, unaware of the true origin, believed the goods came from China. Consequently, they named many of these items in their language, such as cinnamon, referred to as cinnamome, with dual names like Barcine [dâr cînî], signifying wood from China (though originating from Ceylon), and Cinnamomo, meaning fragrant wood from China.
Clove's familiarity extends back to the time of Pliny, a contemporary of Emperor Domitian, who mentioned a grain similar to pepper in India, called Cariofilum or Gariofilum by others. The Persians named it Calafur, and its Latin designation, Cariofilum, is believed to be a corruption of the Moorish term Calafur. The Castilians, having received cloves from the island of Gilolo, refer to them as Gilope. The people of the Moluccas call them chauque, while Brahmin doctors use the term lavanga, incorporating Moorish names into their own designations. The initial Portuguese explorers, noting the resemblance of cloves to iron nails, coined the term "nail" for these spice buds, a name that persists globally.
Source: G. Ferrand, Relations de voyages et textes geographiques: Arabes, Persans et Turks relatifs a l'extreme-Orient, 1913
However, this suggestions, does not clarifying with the name used for Cinnamon in earliest Portuguese sources, which is 'canella'.
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