history
history
History
Cinnamon originated from Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka) and found its way via the ‘Cinnamon Route’ to Alexandria, Egypt – the shipping port of cinnamon. From here, it was bought by Italian traders who held a monopoly of spice trade in Europe. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, Portuguese traders landed in Ceylon, and held the monopoly of cinnamon for over a hundred years.
From medicinal, to magical, religious and culinary purposes, cinnamon has been cherished and used across several civilisations for thousands of years. In Ancient Rome, Cinnamon was considered more precious than gold and silver, and regarded as a gift fit for monarchs.
Today, cinnamon is extensively used worldwide, as an ingredient in many products. It is mainly used as a spice, condiment and flavouring material.
At times, Ceylon cinnamon is confused with other spices such as Cassia cinnamon. Cassia is in fact an inferior type of cinnamon, known for its harsher flavour and lacks health benefits. Ceylon cinnamon is finer, less dense and lighter in colour and can be easily crumbled, as opposed to Cassia which is light reddish brown in colour, hard and woody in texture and does not crumble at all.
