Moluccas

Cloves grow only on five tiny Moluccan islands - Ternate and Tidore control world's clove supply, sultans become fabulously wealthy

Magellan expedition's cloves pay for entire voyage - 26 tons of cloves from one surviving ship covers all costs plus profit

Pierre Poivre smuggles clove seedlings from Moluccas - French break Dutch monopoly, plants cloves in Mauritius