As well as the world’s best tea, Sri Lanka also produces the best and only authentic cinnamon in the world.
Cinnamon was valued as a precious spice in the west from the 14th century when it was found to be effective in preserving meat and in retarding the growth of bacteria.
It was discovered that real cinnamon grew in only one country, the island in the Indian Ocean now known as Sri Lanka. The trade was controlled by Arab merchants until the Portuguese wrested control of the island, only to be ousted by the Dutch.
The Dutch boosted the production by the domestication of the crop and growing it in the areas under their control. This resulted in cinnamon being transplanted (as seedlings) from its natural habitat of the mid-hill country to the western and southern coastal belts of the island, where it is to be found today.
While there are other types of cinnamon, they do not have the effects of the one specific species — Cinnamomum verum — which even today is only found in Sri Lanka.
Cinnamon is obtained from the dried bark of the perennial tree, C.zeylanicum. The bark is peeled from the tree and hand-rolled into quills. The peeled quills are joined and rolled together to get a pipe-like structure to the required length. These quills are air-dried naturally for about seven days.
Cinnamon is traditionally used in cooking (with a piece of a quill added to curries and stews as seasoning) and, as a powder, for adding flavour to baked items. Cinnamon flavoured tea is becoming popular, thus combining Sri Lanka’s top two natural products.
At home in Sri Lanka, I grind cinnamon quills in a kitchen blender to produce powder and I add that to my morning cup of tea. It smells divine, reminding me of the smell of chewing gum of my youth.
Cinnamon is a proven asset for healthy living. It is a powerful anti-oxidant. In fact, it contains more antioxidants than garlic and oregano. It shields the body from free radicals that cause oxidative stress, which occurs when the body cannot detoxify all the damaging free radicals building up. Anti-oxidants can help prevent the negative impact that excess free radicals can have on the immune system.
Cinnamon also helps your body fight infections and repair tissue damage. Cinnamon has been shown to reduce high cholesterol and blood pressure.
Cinnamon can dramatically reduce insulin resistance, helping this important hormone do its job and it can lower blood sugar. It can fight tooth decay and bad breath and help patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
It sounds like a miracle cure for everything and clinical tests have proven its efficacy. So when you come to Sri Lanka, make sure you hunt down real cinnamon to take home. It could be your best souvenir of Sri Lanka.
