It is one of the first spices sought after, with references in the Bible and to its use in ancient Egypt. The Portuguese colonized Sri Lanka for cinnamon until driven out by the Dutch in 1636, who began cultivation of the cinnamon previously gathered in the wild. The Dutch monopoly of the cinnamon trade ended in 1796 when the English East India Company took control. Cinnamon trees were brought to Indonesia, India and the Seychelles,however cinnamon from Sri Lanka is regarded as the best quality. The evergreen cinnamon tree grows to over 30 feet in the wild, but is kept shorter under cultivation.
Cinnamon trees thrive in tropical maritime climates at low altitudes.
The bark is harvested or peeled from the trees and made into quills by hand rolling and drying in the sun. The quills can be ground or processed into oil for cooking purposes. The sweet, somewhat woody aroma is fragrant and strong. The flavor is distinctive and warm. Our online order form.