Trick or spice? How the 'nutmeg' came to dominate the soccer world

Nutmeg is the seed of an evergreen tree native to the Banda Islands in eastern Indonesia. Its rarity made it one of the most valuable spices until the 17th century, when Dutch control efforts began. Dutch authorities sought to control the spice trade and, after resistance from the Bandanese, pursued extreme measures to remove local people. Over time, “nutmeg” shifted from describing the spice to describing a trick in soccer where a player kicks the ball through an opponent’s legs. Skilled players perform it effortlessly, leaving opponents spinning, and the term carries connotations of duplicity and psychological impact.

"Nutmeg is the seed of an evergreen tree. The outside of a nutmeg is somewhat yellow and looks similar to a walnut. (Don't forget this it will be important later.) The fruit is native to the Banda Islands, a small archipelago in eastern Indonesia, according to Michael Krondl, a food historian. Due to the rarity of the nutmeg, "it was one of the most valuable spices," Krondl said, until the 17th century, when the Dutch entered the picture."

""You get nutmegged on the pitch it's actually psychologically damaging," Solomon Tesfaye, 33, said on a muggy spring Monday at a pickup soccer game at Randall Field in Washington, D.C. He was referencing a killer trick move in which a player kicks the ball through a defender's legs. Nutmegging is an artistic maneuver that the most skilled players pull off effortlessly, leaving the opponent spinning around in circles."

""It's a crazy word. It's a loaded word." Tesfaye chimed in to explain that "Mawi here and a few of the other guys I've played with have gotten nutmegged by me." Solomon's mouth dropped open. "Misinformation right there," he said, laughing. How did a spice turn into one of the most sought-after and painful trick moves in soccer? Two weeks before the start of the World Cup, this installment of NPR's Word of the Week explains how "nutmeg" became synonymous with duplicity: from spice traders to one of the world's most popular sports."

Read at www.npr.org