The Memoirs and Memorials of Jacques de Coutre: Security, Trade and Society in 16th- and 17th-century Southeast Asia

Glossary of Non-geographic Names, Currencies, Measures and Commodities

300 GLOSSARY of Non-geographic Names, Currencies, Measures and Commodities aguardente (Spanish: aguardiente). A fermented or distilled alcoholic beverage which is usually clear. The term has been employed to designate various forms of hard liquor, such as “brandy”. In the context used by De Coutre, it is certainly known in Malay as arak. almadia This term appears to be of Arabic origin. It is used to designate a small craft such as a canoe or a “small native boat”. Leitão and Lopes describe it as a light craft made of a single tree trunk. De Coutre claims it is a small craft similar to a sloop. almiranta The ship under the command of an admiral. almoada (Also: almohada). A type of cushion or pillow. aloes (Also: aloeswood). An odoriferous wood. See also the separate entries for eaglewood, gaharu, and kalambak. alum (Also: pedra-humida, alum stone). A natural cosmetic con­ taining potassium and alum crystal. It tightens the skin and is often used as a deodorant and antiseptic. Alum was also used as an ingredient in dye to make the colour adhere to the cloth fibres.  BOC, II.3, p. 600; DLM, p. 31; GVOC, p. 11; HJ, p. 15; MNI, p. 205.  HJ, p. 16; IMM, I, pp. 120–1; SMS, pp. 336–7.  EFS, II, p. 1392; GVOC, p. 12; IMM, I, pp. 2–6. 26 MJdC.indd 300 10/24/13 5:33:31 PM 301 Glossary of Non-geographic Names, Currencies, Measures and Commodities amber A fossilised resin featuring a range of colours from saffronyellow to red. Contrary to some popular myths, amber is flammable and floats on water. Expensive pieces contain curious objects, impurities or small insects in the fossilised resin. Yellow amber originates chiefly in the Baltic region where it was often picked up along the shores as it was washed up or retrieved in fishing nets. It was, and remains, very popular as jewellery in China. In Southeast Asia, Burma is a source of amber, but here its hue ranges from pinkish to wine red in colour. The fossilised resin amber should not be confused with ambergris, which is a natural, odoriferous and very costly baleen product. See also the separate entry for that product. ambergris (Also: ambar and other spellings). Not to be confused with amber (a fossilised resin, see the entry above), ambergris is a baleen or whale product. The term is of Arabic origin. Ambergris appears to be a natural excretion of the indigestible parts of the whale’s diet. Freshly excreted, ambergris is dark and coloured by the melanin it has ingested from the whale’s diet of octopus. When floating on the sea, and exposed to the sun, the melanin washes out and the ambergris appears whitish in colour. Ambergris was commonly collected along beaches near the migration routes of whales. It contains an odoriferous substance which is uniquely sweet and pleasant. Ambergris was believed to possess certain pharmacological pro­perties and was commonly used in medicine, perfumery as well as an ingredient for cooking and confectionary. arak A term employed in Arabic and Malay for an alcoholic beverage, usually made from the leaf sap of various types  BUR, I, p. 130.  BOC, I.2, p. 692; BOC, II.3, p. 600; BUR, I, pp. 130–1; GVOC, p. 12; IMM, I, pp. 138–9; SMS, p. 337; Dunlop, Bronnen, p. 792; Borschberg, “O comércio de âmbar asiático no início da época moderna (séculos XV–XVIII)—The Asiatic Ambergris trade in the early modern period (15th to 18th century)” Revista Oriente 8 (2004): 3–25. Borschberg, “Der Asiatische Ambra-Handel während der frühen Neuzeit”, Mirabilia Asiatica II, ed. Jorge Alves, Claude Guillot and Roderich Ptak (Wiesbaden and Lisbon: Harrassowitz-Fundação Oriente, 2004), pp. 167–201. 26 MJdC.indd 301 10/24/13 5:33:31 PM Glossary of Non-geographic Names, Currencies, Measures and Commodities 302 of palm trees. The term is often used to designate local types of Asian fermented juices (such as nipa palm wine and various forms of toddy) and at times as a reference to rice wine and hard liquor. areca (Also: catechu). A type of palm (Malay: pinang) that grows in the tropical regions of India and Southeast Asia. As confirmed by the description of De Coutre, the “nuts” of the areca palm are usually chewed with betel leaf and lime. See also...