Cinnamon which has become a precious money- spinner in present day Sri Lanka was originally grown wild in the forested locations of the hill country in Kandy, Matale, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Haputale and Siharaja Range.
Cinnamon trees found stil growing in wild in these areas could be considered as a clear proof of the origin of this unique spice scientifically known as ‘ Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume’ indigenous to Sri Lanka.
On comparison to Cinnamon, no other spice in the world is shrouded in myths, legends and folktales encompassing even to distant ancient lands of Greece, Rome and Egypt. Reference had been made in the Holy Bible and other ancient chronicles of Greece, Rome and Egypt Relevant to cinnamon as a kind of precious and holy spice.
Cinnamon was also used in funeral pyres in the ancient Rome due to its inherent fragrance. The Emperor Nero was known to have burnt a huge stock of an annual collection of Cinnamon in the funeral pyre of his Queen Poppaea Sabina.
In ancient Egypt, cinnamon had been used in the preservation of mummies.
Cinnamon was used as a chief ingredient of producing perfumes in the ancient Rome. The Moorish merchants renown across the ancient world having the monopoly of Cinnamon had resorted to numerous cunning devices to hide the origin of Cinnamon to the rest of the world.
They concocted fairy tales and narrated them to the European buyers in convincing the hazardous manner of obtaining this precious spice of cinnamon. Herodotus the Greek historian referring to how people obtained Cinnamon had stated Eagles who make their nests on inaccessible rocks and tall mountain cliffs out of Cinnamon trees grown in wild.
As a device to bring down the cinnamon sticks people keep huge pieces of meat in close proximity to the rocks and trees where the eagles had built their nests out of Cinnamon sticks. The piece of meat was a kind of a bait and when the bird flew to its nest carrying the huge piece of meat due to its weight the nest was broken down and the cinnamon sticks thus fallen were collected by the people.’
Roman Philosopher Pliny the Elder had believed that cinnamon originated in Ethiopia and carried in rafts without oars or sails and operated by man himself with his undaunted courage. Another myth relevant to the origin of cinnamon was that Cinnamon was found in ‘ deep canyons Guarded by poisonous serpents’.
Due to ever expanding demand in ancient West for the precious indigenous Sri Lankan Cinnamon known as ‘ Cinnamomum zeylanicum,’ several European Explorers undertook numerous painstaking ventures to trace the origin of cinnamon. Christopher Columbus and Gonzalo Pizzaro were two well known explorers who sought after Cinnamon.
In order to keep the origin of cinnamon as a top secret , the Moorish merchants had sent Sri Lankan cinnamon through circuitous land routes first to Indonesia from there to East Africa and later transported from East Africa to the rest of the countries in Europe. But the Portuguese fleet led by Lorenzo de Almeida had blown off course and reached Galle Port on Novemcer 15th 1505. Their arrival in Sri Lanka could completely changed the political landscape of the country.
The Portuguese had a big trade competition with the Arabian traders who held the monopoly of spice trade in the Asian region and later the Portuguese undertook the Cinnamon trade of the country. After the Dutch invasion, an agreement was signed between the Dutch Administrators and King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe on 14th February 1767. In return to the military support provided to King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe in defeating the Portuguese , the Dutch had been allowed to cut and produce cinnamon in certain areas of the country.
In 1796 the British acquired the maritime provinces of Sri Lanka along with the Cinnamon industry dominated by the Dutch. By the year 1850 nearly 50,000 acres of cinnamon cultivations were found across Sri Lanka but since the introduction of coconut cultivation people tuned towards coconut culvation ignoring the cinnamon.
Major cinnamon cultivations are found in Galle, Matara, Kalutara and Rathnapura , and in the hinterlands of Ambalangoda, Karandeniya, Uragaha, Batapola, Meetiyagoda and several other villages of the Southern province.
According to the latest statistics In the Galle district there are 10,644 hectares under Cinnamon cultivation, Matara 7,926 hectares Hambantota 2,313 and Kalutara 2,633 hectares are found under Cinnamon cultivation. In Sri Lanka , traditionally cinnamon has been identified as belonged to five varieties of ‘ Pani Misis Kurundu ’, ‘ Pani Rasa Kurundu’ , ‘ Sevala Kurundu ’ ‘Kahata Kurundu’ and ‘ Thitha Kurundu’ according to the taste and strength of the inner bark and the leaves.
All those who are engaged in the cinnamon industry in the cinnamon growing areas of Sri Lanka now a days earn a good income.
Local prices vary from Rs. 2100 to Rs. 3000 per kilo of produced Cinnamon. In the past it was considered as a cottage industry and less attention was paid for the quality by those who are engaged in cinnamon products at grassroot levels.
Cinnamon trees found stil growing in wild in these areas could be considered as a clear proof of the origin of this unique spice scientifically known as ‘ Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume’ indigenous to Sri Lanka.
On comparison to Cinnamon, no other spice in the world is shrouded in myths, legends and folktales encompassing even to distant ancient lands of Greece, Rome and Egypt. Reference had been made in the Holy Bible and other ancient chronicles of Greece, Rome and Egypt Relevant to cinnamon as a kind of precious and holy spice.
Cinnamon was also used in funeral pyres in the ancient Rome due to its inherent fragrance. The Emperor Nero was known to have burnt a huge stock of an annual collection of Cinnamon in the funeral pyre of his Queen Poppaea Sabina.
In ancient Egypt, cinnamon had been used in the preservation of mummies.
Cinnamon was used as a chief ingredient of producing perfumes in the ancient Rome. The Moorish merchants renown across the ancient world having the monopoly of Cinnamon had resorted to numerous cunning devices to hide the origin of Cinnamon to the rest of the world.
They concocted fairy tales and narrated them to the European buyers in convincing the hazardous manner of obtaining this precious spice of cinnamon. Herodotus the Greek historian referring to how people obtained Cinnamon had stated Eagles who make their nests on inaccessible rocks and tall mountain cliffs out of Cinnamon trees grown in wild.
As a device to bring down the cinnamon sticks people keep huge pieces of meat in close proximity to the rocks and trees where the eagles had built their nests out of Cinnamon sticks. The piece of meat was a kind of a bait and when the bird flew to its nest carrying the huge piece of meat due to its weight the nest was broken down and the cinnamon sticks thus fallen were collected by the people.’
Roman Philosopher Pliny the Elder had believed that cinnamon originated in Ethiopia and carried in rafts without oars or sails and operated by man himself with his undaunted courage. Another myth relevant to the origin of cinnamon was that Cinnamon was found in ‘ deep canyons Guarded by poisonous serpents’.
Due to ever expanding demand in ancient West for the precious indigenous Sri Lankan Cinnamon known as ‘ Cinnamomum zeylanicum,’ several European Explorers undertook numerous painstaking ventures to trace the origin of cinnamon. Christopher Columbus and Gonzalo Pizzaro were two well known explorers who sought after Cinnamon.
In order to keep the origin of cinnamon as a top secret , the Moorish merchants had sent Sri Lankan cinnamon through circuitous land routes first to Indonesia from there to East Africa and later transported from East Africa to the rest of the countries in Europe. But the Portuguese fleet led by Lorenzo de Almeida had blown off course and reached Galle Port on Novemcer 15th 1505. Their arrival in Sri Lanka could completely changed the political landscape of the country.
The Portuguese had a big trade competition with the Arabian traders who held the monopoly of spice trade in the Asian region and later the Portuguese undertook the Cinnamon trade of the country. After the Dutch invasion, an agreement was signed between the Dutch Administrators and King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe on 14th February 1767. In return to the military support provided to King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe in defeating the Portuguese , the Dutch had been allowed to cut and produce cinnamon in certain areas of the country.
In 1796 the British acquired the maritime provinces of Sri Lanka along with the Cinnamon industry dominated by the Dutch. By the year 1850 nearly 50,000 acres of cinnamon cultivations were found across Sri Lanka but since the introduction of coconut cultivation people tuned towards coconut culvation ignoring the cinnamon.
Major cinnamon cultivations are found in Galle, Matara, Kalutara and Rathnapura , and in the hinterlands of Ambalangoda, Karandeniya, Uragaha, Batapola, Meetiyagoda and several other villages of the Southern province.
According to the latest statistics In the Galle district there are 10,644 hectares under Cinnamon cultivation, Matara 7,926 hectares Hambantota 2,313 and Kalutara 2,633 hectares are found under Cinnamon cultivation. In Sri Lanka , traditionally cinnamon has been identified as belonged to five varieties of ‘ Pani Misis Kurundu ’, ‘ Pani Rasa Kurundu’ , ‘ Sevala Kurundu ’ ‘Kahata Kurundu’ and ‘ Thitha Kurundu’ according to the taste and strength of the inner bark and the leaves.
All those who are engaged in the cinnamon industry in the cinnamon growing areas of Sri Lanka now a days earn a good income.
Local prices vary from Rs. 2100 to Rs. 3000 per kilo of produced Cinnamon. In the past it was considered as a cottage industry and less attention was paid for the quality by those who are engaged in cinnamon products at grassroot levels.
Source: www.dailynews.lk (25 January 2017)
No comments:
Post a Comment