True Ceylon Cinnamon (The real Cinnamon)
Cinnamon Story
Cinnamon has been in use by humans for thousands of years. It is even mentioned in the Bible as an anointing oil. Evidence suggests it was used throughout the ancient world, and that Arab traders brought it to Europe, where it proved equally popular. Legend holds that the Roman emperor Nero burned as much as he could find of the precious spice on the funeral pyre of his second wife Poppaea Sabina in A.D. 65 to atone for his role in her death.
Despite its widespread use, the origins of cinnamon was the Arab merchants’ best-kept secret until the early 16th century. To maintain their monopoly on the cinnamon trade and justify its exorbitant price, Arab traders wove colorful tales for their buyers about where and how they obtained the luxury spice.
One such story, related by the 5th-century B.C. Greek historian Herodotus, said that enormous birds carried the cinnamon sticks to their nests perched high atop mountains that were insurmountable by any human. According to the story, people would leave large pieces of ox meat below these nests for the birds to collect. When the birds brought the meat into the nest, its weight would cause the nests to fall to the ground, allowing the cinnamon sticks stored within to be collected.
Struggling to meet increasing demand, European explorers set out to find the spice’s mysterious source. Christopher Columbus wrote to Queen Isabella, claiming he had found cinnamon and rhubarb in the New World, but when he sent samples of his findings back home, it was discovered that the spice was not, in fact, the coveted cinnamon. Gonzalo Pizarro, a Spanish explorer, also sought cinnamon in the Americas, traversing the Amazon hoping to find the “pais de la canela,” or “cinnamon country.”
Around 1518, Portuguese traders discovered cinnamon at Ceylon, present-day Sri Lanka, and conquered most of the island, enslaving the island’s population and gaining control of the cinnamon trade for about a century until the Ceylon kingdom of Kandy allied with the Dutch in 1638 to overthrow the Portuguese occupiers. The Dutch defeated the Portuguese but held the kingdom was in debt for their military services, so once again Ceylon was occupied by European traders, handing the cinnamon monopoly over to the Dutch for the next 150 years. Ceylon then was taken over by the British in 1784 after their victory in the fourth Anglo-Dutch War. One main reason??? The expensive and rare commodity called Ceylon Cinnamon. Also known as the true Cinnamon.
Silkeny True Ceylon Cinnamon
Cinnamomum Zeylanicum is a tree indigenous to Sri Lanka which produces the highest-grade pure cinnamon.
Sri Lanka is the world’s largest producer and exporter of pure cinnamon to the world and pure Ceylon Cinnamon Suppliers from Sri Lanka claim 94% of global market share. True Cinnamon comes primarily from Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and Seychelles. Where as cassia is usually labelled as “Chinese cinnamon” or “Saigon cinnamon” and typically comes from Indonesia, China, Vietnam. If you go to a kitchen cupboard in North America, the cinnamon that you’ll likely find there is in fact not the true cinnamon, but rather a spice know as cassia.
Cinnamon differs both physically and chemically to Cassia. Ceylon Cinnamon, referred to as both sweet cinnamon and true cinnamon, is considered superior to the variety known as Cassia a cheaper and inferior product.
Global Nexus is one of the leading companies to bring genuine true Ceylon Cinnamon to North America. True Cinnamon is very mild and slightly sweeter than Cassia and not as harsh and spicy. Besides the superb taste of Ceylon Cinnamon, the most important difference between true cinnamon and cassia is in their levels of coumarin. Cassia has very high levels of coumarin compared to true cinnamon, and due to this fact, Cassia is quite toxic when ingested in large amounts which can lead to serious liver damage.