Cinnamon is another popularly traded spice for its culinary and medicinal use. It is widely used in a number of industries for its aroma, flavor. Cinnamon is native to Srilanka and India and is also found in tropical regions throughout the world. Srilanka and India are one of the major producers and exporters of whole and powdered form of cinnamon. It is also widely used in these countries for its culinary use. Cinnamon has strong aroma and they are sweet and have good taste. Due to the popularity of the cinnamon of Ceylon sometimes cinnamon are also called as Ceylonese cinnamon.


Origin Of Cinnamon Srilanka, south-west India and the Tenasserim Hills of Burma are considered as the original habitat of cinnamon. Related species of cinnamon is grown in Indonesia, Vietnam and China.

Description Of Cinnamon
Cinnamon or the Ceylonese cinnamon is sold as strips of bark rolled one in another. The color range from pale brown to tan and the bark is generally thin. Good cinnamon has pale and parchment-like appearance. The appearance of Cinnamon resembles to cassia. In North America cassia and not the cinnamon is dominating the market. Grounded Cinnamon can be easily be distinguished from cassia by its lighter color and much finer powder.

Plant Description and Cultivation
Cinnamon(ceylonese cinnamon) is from a tropical evergreen tree that require good rainfall and sunshine for proper growth. The normal length of the tree is around 7m (56 ft). The leaves are oval with dark green color and are aromatic. The tree also consist of white flowers yellow in appearance consisting of dark purple berries with disagreeable odour. However if the cinnamon are grown in plantations they grow in small bushes, with an average height of 3 m. After the plant is ready the the outer bark, and the inner lining are scraped off. The bark so remained is dried completely which curls and rolls into quills which are later cut and collected.


Types Of Cinnamon
Depending on the origin and properties there are some other types of cinnamon which are as follows:

Indonesian Cinnamon
Indonesian Cinnamon are aromatic spice belongs to the family of Lauraceae (laurel family). The bitterness in it is low. It originates in Western Sumatra and is grown in many parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, India etc. They are used in various vegetarian and non vegetarian cuisines. The quills of the Indonesian Cinnamon are reddish brown outside and the inner side is much darker and grayish brown

Chinese cinnamon
Chinese cinnamon too belongs to the laurel family of the plant. The bark is aromatic having pungent smell. The bark has less delicate flavor and the bark is more thick. It is used both for culinary and medicinal purpose.

Vietnamese cinnamon
Vietnamese cinnamon has quite similarity to the Chinese cinnamon but the pieces are usually smaller and thinner.

Trade in Cinnamon Spice
Global Scenario
Global trade in cinnamon ranges between 8500-12000 tonnes annually. Srilanka contributes nearly 80% of the total cinnamon production followed by Seychelles, Madagascar and India. USA, Japan and EU are the major import markets of the spice.

Indian Scenario
Cinnamon production is a labour intensive process, requiring the bark of the plant to be cleaned thoroughly before being dried and finally used for consumption. Karnataka, Kerala and Andaman & Nicobar Islands are the major production areas in India.

Uses of Cinnamon

• Cosmetics
• Perfumery
• Food processing: including cakes, puddings, ice creams, desserts.
• Personal hygiene products: including toothpastes, soaps.
• Confectionery: including candies, chewing gums.
• Beverages: including tea and soft drinks.
• Medicines: Cinnamon has astringent, carminative, antiseptic, antifungal, anti-viral, blood purifying, and digestion aiding properties, which makes is useful in the preparation of a number of drugs and medicines.