A poster of Flintheart Glomgold is seen at the spice tavern where it states they are not to accept checks from him.
The scene in the spice den contains several references to Indiana Jones. The spice eating competition mirrors Marion Ravenwood's introductory scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), the guy being put in a cage is a reference to the sacrifice scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), and the spice baron is dressed like Indiana Jones himself.
Swanstantine is based off Constantine, a Roman Emperor of the 4th century who was the first one to have converted to Christianity and had been known for his sword.
Various minor enemies of the Ducks from throughout the series can be seen at the spice tavern in Istanbird, including Hack Smashnikov, Don Karnage's Sky Pirates, and the Biker Couple from Tokyolk.
In accordance to renaming real-life locations with bird/duck-themed names, Istanbul is renamed as Istanbird for this episode.