Cinnamon is one of the healthiest spices in the world and is obtained from the bark of an evergreen tree Cinnamomum zeylanicum of the Lauraceae family. While Ceylon or 'true cinnamon' is native to Sri Lanka the history of cinnamon dates back to about 2800 B.C where the Chinese and Europeans used cinnamon in a daily capacity as both a spice and a healing agent. Cinnamon is even mentioned in the Bible when Moses used it as an ingredient for his anointing oil in ancient Rome. Cinnamon was a precious spice in the west during 14th -15th centuries due to its primary use as a preserve for food, retarding the growth of bacteria. The quest for cinnamon was a major factor which led to exploration of the world in 15th century. By that time the real cinnamon was produced in only one place, namely in Ceylon, present-day Sri Lanka.

Anyone who had the control of the supply flow would have made profits immensely. Around 1518, Portuguese traders discovered cinnamon at Ceylon, enslaving the island's population and gaining control of the cinnamon trade for about a century prior to the Dutch displacing the Portuguese gaining the control of the cinnamon monopoly. It was the Dutch who took a massive effort to boost the production of Ceylon cinnamon. Due to such efforts cinnamon cultivations were moved to Western and Southern coastal belts of the island. Ceylon then was taken over by the British in 1784, but by 1800, other cheaper varieties such as cassia, began to rival it in popularity. Today, we typically encounter two types of commercial cinnamon: Ceylon and cassia cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon, most of which is still produced in Sri Lanka, is more sought after and highly recommended above cassia cinnamon, due to its irreplaceable flavor and medicinal benefits.