History

Native to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), true cinnamon, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, dates back in Chinese writings to 2800 B.C. and is still known as kwai in the Cantonese language today.

The Arabs controlled the spice trade for almost 3000 years, from 1500 BC to 1500 AD. They traded with the Greeks and Romans, and Venice became the most important city for spice imports to northern Europe.

Interesting Facts

The Italians found that the appearance of Cinnamon quills reminded them of cannons and thus they called it ‘canela’, which became ‘kaneel’ in Dutch and ‘cannelle’ in French.

In fact, the word ‘Cinnamon’ is derived from the ancient Hebrew word ‘kinnämön, which in turn probably originates from the Malay or Indonesian term ‘Kayumanis’, meaning ‘sweet wood’.