The Cinnamon Story
Cinnamon
is one of the ancient spices in the world. Ceylon cinnamon, “Cinnamomum
zeylanicum” native to Sri Lanka belong to the Lauraceae family. The
history of the cinnamon is about to 2800 B.C old. Even it is mentioned in bible.
The Egyptians used cinnamon for the medicine and food enhancer as well as
embalming process. Mexico, Asiatic countries, Arabia and North Africa it was
used in cooking. The Romans it has been used mostly in perfumes and fragrances
and to flavor wines.
The true cinnamon of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) was found in the early
of the 16th century by the Portuguese, They controlled the trade with great
cruelty. Demand for the cinnamon begun to increase and led Dutch to fight with
Portuguese finally Ceylon’s cinnamon trade was invaded and controlled by Holland
in the mid of 17th century. However Dutch gained control the Cinnamon monopoly.
It is also reveal the history of Cinnamon in Sri Lanka, Up country-Dutch
agreement signed between the Sri Lankan king Sri Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe and the
Dutch government in 14th February 1766 had been permitted Dutch to cut and peel
cinnamon of some certain areas within the country according to the promise made
by Dutch of protect the kingdom from the foreign invasion.
Cinnamon has wide
range of products. Cinnamon bark, cinnamon oil, cinnamon quills, cinnamon
powder, ground cinnamon are few of them. It was primary used for
preserving meat and the retard the growth of bacteria. It also plays an
important role in cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry. While cinnamon leaf oil
is often used for flavoring toothpastes; inner bark is major used for producing
quills.
The tropical sunshine, rain is needed to grow of cinnamon well and the quality
of the spice depends on the soil condition. Cinnamon tree is pruned after two
years of the planted. It’s mainly harvested immediate after each of two rainy
seasons and bark is harvested twice a year. Most of the cinnamon
produces in the coastal belt, Kaluthara, Galle, Matara, Hambantota and
Rathnapura. As well as the genius cinnamon produces in Negambo.
Sri Lanka is rewarded as the major cinnamon producer to the global
markets it makes the considerable foreign exchange of Agricultural plant
products of the country and supplied 90% of cinnamon demand of the world.