By Stabilicinn
Short answer: Cinnamon is one of the oldest traded spices. It was prized in the ancient Mediterranean world, its source was long kept secret by traders, and from the 1500s onward Portuguese, Dutch and British powers in turn fought to control Sri Lanka’s cinnamon. Today Sri Lanka still produces most of the world’s true cinnamon.
An ancient luxury
References to cinnamon-like spices appear in very old texts from Egypt, the Hebrew Bible and classical Greece and Rome, where it was used in perfumes, incense and as a mark of wealth. Ancient writers were often vague, and some of what they called “cinnamon” may have been Cassia. What is clear is that it was rare and expensive.
A closely guarded secret
For centuries, traders who carried cinnamon west guarded its origin closely. Fanciful stories, including the Greek historian Herodotus’s tale of giant birds building nests from cinnamon sticks, helped keep prices high and competitors away.
Ceylon and the colonial spice trade
When Portuguese traders reached Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon) in the early 1500s, they found the island’s forests full of true cinnamon and took control of the trade. The Dutch displaced them in the 1600s and established cinnamon plantations. The British took control at the end of the 1700s. Cinnamon was among the most valuable commodities of the era, and control of it shaped the island’s history.
From luxury to everyday spice
As cultivation spread and cheaper Cassia from China and Southeast Asia flooded world markets, cinnamon became an everyday kitchen spice. Today Cassia makes up most of the cinnamon sold worldwide, while Sri Lanka continues to produce the large majority of true Ceylon cinnamon, still harvested and rolled by hand. See how it’s made today.
Where Stabilicinn fits in
Stabilicinn brings together this long tradition and modern science: certified Ceylon cinnamon from Sri Lanka’s Southern Province, extracted with a bio-engineered process developed by Sri Lankan-born scientist Dr. Sumedha Jayasena.
Related: Ceylon vs. Cassia · Meet Dr. Jayasena