Cinnamon: A Spice of an Indigenous Origin- Historical Study

Abstract

Cinnamon has been used by humans for thousands of years- as early as 3,000 B.C. Despite of its exotic, distant origin, cinnamon was known and widely used in the ancient world. The Arabs were the first to introduce it to the west and dominated the trade for centuries via their network of trading routes that went as far as China. Their account of where and how cinnamon was obtained proves that exaggerated marketing techniques were not invented in the past. In spite of its widespread use, the origins of cinnamon was the Arab merchants‟ best-kept secret until the early 10th century. To maintain their monopoly on cinnamon trade and justify its exorbitant price, Arab traders' interlaced colorful stories for their buyers about where and how they obtained the luxurious spice. Therefore, they furnished details on the origin of cinnamon which were not true. Many scholars believe that cinnamon was brought from Sri Lanka during that period and it needs to be investigated.