The Mysterious History of Cinnamon

In this video, we look at the mysterious historical origins of one of the world's favorite spices: Cinnamon.
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Works Cited
[1] Suriyagoda, Lalith et al. (2021). “Ceylon cinnamon”: Much more than just a spice. Plants, People, Planet. 3. 10.1002/ppp3.10192.
[2] Yule, Henry. "Cathay and the Way Thither." Cambridge University Press, 2010.
[3] Pliny the Elder. The Natural History. Translated by John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S., and H.T. Riley, Esq., B.A., Taylor and Francis, 1855. Accessed through the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University,
www.perseus.tu...
[4] Leech, Joe. "Ceylon vs. Cassia - Not All Cinnamon Is Created Equal." Healthline.
www.healthline...
[5] Fessenden, Marris. "Here’s How Cinnamon is Harvested in Indonesia." Smithsonian Magazine, April 22, 2015. www.smithsonia...
[6] "Cinnamon." Wikpedia, the Free Encyclopedia. en.m.wikipedia...
[7] Myspicer. "The History of Cinnamon."
www.myspicer.c...
[8] Business Insider. "Why Ceylon Cinnamon is So Expensive." KZbin, Mar 13, 2021.
• Why Ceylon Cinnamon Is...
[9] Bocco, Diana. "How Cinnamon Works." HowStuffWorks.
science.howstu...
[10] Stevenson, Emily. "Cinnamon." Eighteenth-Century Literature, University of Warwick.
eighteenthcentu...
[11] "Cinnamon." National Center For Complementary and Integrative Health.
[12] Ancientfoods. "Evidence of 3,000-Year-Old Cinnamon Trade Found in Israel." Ancient Foods, Wordpress, 21 Aug. 2013.
[13] Ancientfoods. "Plants and Herbs in Ancient Egypt." Ancient Foods, Wordpress, 16 Dec. 2013
ancientfoods.w...
[14] Rosengarten, Frederic. "The Book of Spices." Livingston Pub. Co, 1969

[@Fireoflearning]

Just want to reiterate I meant to say "cinnamologus", not "cinnamogolus'.

[@Imadurazno]

Cinnamongus

[@tracemyers1275]

Book burning destroyed more than you think and its done intentionally

[@miguelmejia4656]

masaman is that you?

[@enyaisrave2831]

You are forgiven

[@Idiotboxxx]

Cinnachungus

[@dCash117]

I would absolutely love to see an ancient man's face at the amount of cinnamon I put in a cup of hot chocolate...

[@slcRN1971]

To me, cinnamon is one of the very best spices. I make a cinnamon apple pie that continues to get rave reviews by my family and friends. Pumpkin pie also benefits from extra cinnamon too (too many store-bought pumpkin pies have way too much nutmeg in them, yuck). The pumpkin English muffins that I buy, are so much better after I put a generous amount of melted cinnamon butter on them (after they are golden brown from the toaster). **Edit, well I looked to see if I am using Ceylon cinnamon..... and it turns out that I am!! I had used a less expensive brand for many years, until I tried a new.... more expensive type just two years ago. Glad that I switched, as it is fantastic.

[@lemmingscanfly5]

@@slcRN1971 Yee cinnamon Is good shit.

[@brianlehmkuhl8162]

You should proclaim out loud "4 years wages" every time you use it.

[@dCash117]

@@brianlehmkuhl8162 ohhhhhh I laughed so hard out loud at that idea

[@brianlehmkuhl8162]

@@dCash117 lol, make sure to use a royal sounding accent when you say it🤣🤣🤣

[@Pandaemoni]

He who controls the spice, controls the universe.

[@MsBlackIris007]

Lol

[@kannan-sar1758]

2 centuries ago, now it's oil

[@fredriks5090]

@@kannan-sar1758 It has always been about cocaine, but Oil and metals are the perfect scapegoat. Coke beverages was the second most successful one, and medicinal use being the third. Coca is found with the pharaohs because they had secret trade routes with america, which the romans deliberately silenced because they associated it with Carthaginians and their southern-mediterranean kind. The spice flows to this day mainly through Portugal into Europe, as it always have, - like in the days of Tartessos. Arganthonios (first attested king of iberia) means "port rich with whiteness" mainly referring to silver, but could also refer to this kings more secretive richness; "White (nep)TUNES", the power of The Seagod himself, - the fuel that sparked his knowledge to construct Aztlandtunis, the stardust that inspired the first astronomers which themselves so furiously insists on their intellectual heritage from the water-man,- Osiris, Neptune or Poseidon the same. "Dwne" means "drowned" in celtoid languages and is probably a loan-word from Atlantis itself. The "Dune" franchise is perfectly aware of it's etymological heritage, - because it is simply trying to tell the story censored by Rome.

[@LetthePeoplesSpeak]

Exactly why I plan to be a farmer on Mars.

[@LNVACVAC]

I can see Gordon Ramsay screaming now.

[@Will-sh8kl]

I knew a guy who told me that he heard cinnamon reduces blood sugar, so he was eating cinnamon doughnuts to reduce his blood sugar. No joke.

[@favoritemustard3542]

👉🤯👈➿➿🍩

[@brasidas2011]

Sounds legit....

[@favoritemustard3542]

@@brasidas2011 hell could be... Mind over matter - maybe it's like the placebo effect

[@theknightswhosay]

If they’re cinnamon as opposed to glazed, it might reduce it.

[@georgesedeno7891]

Preferred dessert of cops 👮‍♂️

[@meucantogames6952]

I lived in this big house with a small Cinnamon tree in front of it. The smell is very strong and can spread throughout the entire street. In fact, not only the trunk but the leaves and berries smell strong too

[@spencer9095]

where did you live region/province/state/country

[@mazrimtaim3107]

@@spencer9095 where indeed

[@Coffeeisnecessarynowpepper]

@@spencer9095 address, zip code,

[@indubioprotheo]

@@spencer9095 coordinates?

[@atom7k856]

@@spencer9095 at what hours is the house empty

[@LouisHansell]

Sri Lanka was called Ceylon, and before that, Serendip. European traders considered the sight of the island as an unexpected and fortunate thing, hence our word 'serendipity.

[@bkane573]

Vastly under rated comment

[@Imaya-n1n]

Yes underrated

[@sansivian]

How the first person came to harvest and consume cinnamon would probably be the story of a lunatic. It’s fascinating how so many ancient things we take for granted have such a crazy history. Great video, very interesting.

[@8bitorgy]

What a time to be alive that must've been

[@questioneverything4633]

Like who came up with the idea squeezing a cow's nipples and drinking what comes out?

[@skyton658]

You could literally say that to every single food item, maybe except for mother milk? And even then

[@sansivian]

@@skyton658 Nah. Most things you see an animal see an animal eat would be obvious. Same with most fruit. But I agree for many things, for sure.

[@victorhopper6774]

@@questioneverything4633 cats

[@sinjinrancourt3585]

What I'm hearing here is ground cinnamon is really just sawdust. Pleasant tasting sawdust. I love it. I enjoyed the video and am excited to watch more!

[@Delgen1951]

the problem with ground Cinnamon is that it will lose it flavor due to moisture in the air and the fact that the growned Cinnamon has so much serface exposied to it.

[@jorgegonzalez-larramendi5491]

"cut" ?

[@tomisugiarto8922]

That's right, i'm the one who produce cinnamon (cassia) stick, broken grade, and powder Cinnamon powder is just sawdust but from the high quality cinnamon long stick

[@favoritemustard3542]

@@tomisugiarto8922 thanks tomi

[@tomisugiarto8922]

@@favoritemustard3542 you're welcome 👌

[@willparker9874]

Mummy have cinnamon in them? I guess that makes them a cinnamon roll

[@captainmurphy4720]

Cinnamon flavored human jerky. I prefer mesquite BBQ.

[@l.lively9993]

good one!

[@lo-fihi-ki5699]

They found a few with cocaine tobacco and cannabis as well.. wouldn’t doubt some blue lotus too

[@suzettewright1609]

😂😂 so true

[@mendandglowskincare]

🤣

[@drinxs505]

Learning about the history of food makes you appreciate it more and it even tastes better when you think of all that hard work that went into it before consuming

[@mazrimtaim3107]

I agree

[@DairangerSentai7]

Nah bruh, I just eat.

[@eas2252]

Imagine eating 200 years ago. No spices or sugar.

[@smurfiennes]

Always eating conciously that what you eat is beneficial and medicinal for your health and body.

[@B5152g]

This is why I hunt, I appreciate it more and feel guilty if I throw out food that an animal died to allow me to eat.. people don't really think that way when they go to the store and buy meat that they had no knowledge or involvement in how it got there..

[@MrAnperm]

When I visited Sri Lanka I toured what they called a medicinal garden. In it they had lots of spice plants. It was the first I had even thought about where certain spices came from. I saw my first cinnamon tree there. Also the tree that cloves come from, the turmeric plant and many other spices we are familiar with.

[@skellorelli2515]

Is it just me, or does the Cinnamogalus sound like the coolest cereal mascot ever?

[@Ttegegg]

The selling of bark trees

[@NikeaTiber]

@@Ttegegg When I was a kid there were television advertisements for Cinnamon Life cereal where the announcer said: "It's flavored with the bark of trees! We promise your kids will eat it!"

[@ferrjuan]

Cinnamon Toast Crunch should adapt it as it’s new mascot

[@davidtatum8682]

It's just you

[@d0nKsTaH]

Damn right! I can see it now... Come on kids.. listen to the Cinnamogalus! Cinnamon Toast Crunch's new caped crusader!

[@Pike737]

In India, cardamom is the spice that is mostly used in sweets and associated with sweets/ sweet drinks like cardamom milk, lassi, chai etc. Cinnamon is mostly used to spice up savory dishes and stews, kormas, etc. Cardamom is also used for savory dishes.

[@asdkotable]

Interesting. Chinese cuisine uses cassia cinnamon for meat dishes as well! My Chinese mother was very confused when she discovered cinnamon in desserts when she moved to the West.

[@theknightswhosay]

It can be good in a mixture of “savory” spices (I hate the use of savory as opposite of sweet, but anyway), but I don’t like when it’s a prominent taste

[@AllisterCaine]

All those "Christmas spices" are typically used in sweets in Europe. In Israel it is like you say too... cardamom and cinnamon goes great with rice and chicken.

[@zeezee9670]

@Ork In the UAE, I discovered Indians (and Pakistanis alike) love some abraisive teeth powders that definitely contains cinnamon & it came in many commercial packages and brands. It would be interesting if any Indians here would shed some light on whether cinnamon is known for medicinal benefits to the mouth or is it just the aroma that mattered, and what other than cinnamon is contained in theses teeth powders.

[@ammagnolia]

Yeah man. It's nice being mixed or learning others cultures Its good for yam fries with something for heat Good in coffee(coffee of the Dead) Chicken dishes Such a wonderful spice

[@sammysoppy3361]

imagine meeting someone in the afterlife to learn of their untimely early death and ask what happened and they say “I sold some bootleg cinnamon and they executed me.” lol

[@Kayenne54]

And in the next life "I hate the smell of cinnamon"...

[@matthewkopp2391]

Image meeting a mummy in the afterlife covered in cinnamon.

[@eas2252]

A tween joins the conversation, "I tried the cinnamon challenge. I lost."

[@muhdzofmadness0245]

Imagine how funny it is for ancient people to meet someone who died swallowing a spoonful of cinnamon because of a dumb trend back then

[@StefanReich]

How is it different from "I sold marijuana and they executed me"? Same madness

[@Goldninja5]

I only ingest cinnamon in its unparalleled form... toast crunch

[@timmmahhhh]

And for the cocoa episode we look forward to your declaration that you go cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.

[@Great_Olaf5]

So you don't eat pumpkin pie?

[@Ttegegg]

Ewww cinnamon

[@bettyschneider5268]

Lol 😂 🌿🍯🍹

[@morbidlymeg]

Am I the only one that remembers the fever dream of the twitter guy who said he found shrimp tails in his 😂

[@sajeewakalamba1796]

I am from Sri Lanka. Portuguese have never enslaved Sri Lankans. What they did was, encourage people to grow more cinnamon & some times introduced laws (fines) to increase the production. The reason why Portuguese were not able to push Sri Lankans harder was that the central mountains & vast expanse of northern plateau were under Sinhalese kings. Portuguese had only parts of the coastal belt & the Sri Lankan lived in those areas also considered Sinhalese king who was ruling from Sithawaka & Kandy as their king. Every time Portuguese pushed hard, people revolted with the support of Sinhalese kings. They burnt cinnamon storages & slashed cinnamon plantations to ground. Therefore, Portuguese were always careful not to push Sri Lankans too much. Repeated attempts by Portuguese to capture Sinhalese kingdom failed handing them heavy losses. In 1559, Portuguese army was defeated in the battle of Mulleriyawa, making the heaviest loss an European army suffered in Asia until the world war II. There 1600, Portuguese soldiers were slain by Prince Tikiri Bandara's (then aged 16 years, later became the king as Rajasinghe I) Sinhalese army. All three colonials powers who ruled parts of Sri Lanka (finally British took entire country in 1815) approx. 150 years each from 1505 till 1948, never enslaved Sri Lankans. Every time colonial powers push Sri Lankans harder, they revolted violently. Sri Lankans (Sinhalese) never went to work in plantations (tobacco, tea, rubber) under Dutch or British. That is why they bought south Indian Tamils to Sri Lanka to work as plantation workers. Most of the Sri Lankan Tamils (apart from Jaffna) are descendants of those Tamils brought to Sri Lanka by Dutch & British.

[@carlderfler5006]

Dude you have an awsome knack of coming up with extremely interesting subjects that the average man just simply doesn't think about! Cinnamon!!! Yes! Yes! Who would of though had highly interesting aspects to it?!? You are a success at what you've chosen to do with the Fire of learning brand. Bravo sir. Bravo

[@Fireoflearning]

Thank you!

[@carlderfler5006]

@@Fireoflearning you've earned it! You work hard.

[@freedem41]

I have the true cinnamon growing in my yard. Just as folk use the bay leaf in cooking the fresh or dried cinnamon leaves work very well also without cutting down the tree.

[@jessica_R_9167]

You should harvest & sell online

[@jamesmmw]

As I found from my own reading of Herodatus, the Greco-Romans considered part of India to be inhabited by a form of Ethiopians. Therefore, it's possible they knew the origins of cinnamon then. (book 3.94)

[@jojobaggett6156]

Greco-romans?

[@scipio109]

@@jojobaggett6156 It’s a way to refer to the classical greek and romans because their literature and architecture forms a cultural unit

[@shyjus5956]

The first spice that reached Europe from india was cinnamomum malabatrum its a relative to the cinnamon tree. So I think what you said is right the greeks already had knoeledge about where the cinnamon trees grow.

[@jamesmmw]

Another supporting indication the Greco-Romans may known cinnamon's origin is they were both within the boundaries of the same empire. The Greeks of Asia Minor, and part of the "Ethiopians" of India were both within the boundaries of the Persian Empire. And, the origin of cinnamon was east into India. Even, the far eastern satrapy next to borders of India included some of these "Ethiopians." (book 3.94) And, Asia Minor and even parts of Greece itself, paid homage to the Persian King. So, trade routes could travel from India to Greece without risking raiders outside the imperial borders. A danger hindrance, and therefore limiting factor, to ancient trade was marauders. There was even an imperial causeway, the "Persian Royal Road", all the way from Asia Minor to at least Susa, the Persian capital. Amber, all the way from the Baltic, found it's way into the borders of the Persian Empire. So, it is conceivable that cinnamon trade was occurring at this time. Trade had developed before to places far beyond imperial borders, and the western tip of India was even a Persian Satrapy. Cinnamon trees might have been growing if not inside the province, just across the borders. A major growing area of cinnamon in India today is just across the borders, along the western coast. Even if they didn't know about the Baltic, they may have known details about trade from this imperial province. The Greeks knew of the look of some people in the this far eastern province, similarly having dark skin like the Ethiopians of Africa. Herodatus records they even knew an exact detail like the yearly tax under King Darius of this province, the 17th Satrapy, was "300 talents." (book 3.94) So, it is possible they knew further details like which trade products arrived from there.

[@FallstarFL]

Exactly. He thought, not without reason, that the Nile and the Ganges were ultimately the same river, because people with darker skin than the Greeks, Crocodiles, elephants, tigers and camels were reported to live near-ish. Its honestly not a bad inference.

[@al145]

I wonder who looked at a tree and was like "I'm gonna scrape that bark and sell it"

[@16Haverson]

I'm assuming someone cut the tree down. Used the wood for whatever and once it dried they noticed the strong smell of the inner tree and someone was brave (or stupid) enough to taste it.

[@mongtkb]

@@16Haverson just like how oyster sauce got discover by overcooked oyster in a pot by a Chinese tea seller 😅

[@TJDious]

@@mongtkb never mind that someone once looked at an oyster and thought "mmm... food."

[@robertharris6092]

@Fihlippe Luhis you mean sawdust?

[@goodun2974]

@Fihlippe Luhis store-bought grated Parmesan cheese usually has powdered cellulose ---- sawdust! ---- added to it.

[@Ciubix8513]

Wow I never knew cinnamon had such fascinating history

[@riograndedosulball248]

I imagine what would be their reaction at the humongous Cassia cinnamon tree just outside my house The bark is about five centimetres deep, on a tree that is more than a meter in diameter, and 15 meters tall. there should be almost a ton of it on this single tree. They would destroy empires over it

[@swaters5127]

@@riograndedosulball248 Are you Brazilian?

[@hellion6737]

@@swaters5127 Probably Sri Lankan

[@MrAnperm]

@@hellion6737 Sri Lanka has the true cinnamon.

[@tommunyon2874]

My childhood home was in ponderosa pine forest. We discovered that the lower layers of bark on the older trees bore a strong resemblance to cinnamon. I was not entirely surprised when I learned in third grade that cinnamon was derived from tree bark.

[@thedwightguy]

@Jay Dee Natives in north america boiled pine and spruce bark in the winter for vitamins. My grandmother in Minnesota said they're have starved to death if the natives hadn't taught them. If you look at "Bulkelys' Mixture" a Minn. company, the recipe is basically a rip off of an old native medicine except for adding a few spices to make in palatable.

[@egoborder3203]

I hope you keep this series on food going! With Thanksgiving and christmas coming up you'd have plenty to talk about right off the bat

[@talisikid1618]

A very heavily clawed bat at that.

[@isaacschmitt4803]

The timing if this popping up in my suggesteds is pretty nice. Last night at Bible study, Casia came up in the selected reading and I was like "hey wait a minute, that's cinnamon!"

[@kathleenem9207]

Thank you for an excellent history of one of my favorite spices. I began to investigate different cinnamons in the 90’s when I got into baking. There is absolutely a marked difference between Chinese, Vietnamese , and Ceylon cinnamon. The product on grocery store shelves is more robust in flavor and is usually Cassia. If you want a more gentle form, then Vietnamese is good but the most delicate and nuanced flavor is from Ceylon. It’s more expensive but worth the money if you care about the difference. I’ve been purchasing my cinnamon and vanilla, lemon, and orange extracts from Penzey’s Spices here in the US. for decades. All the products are thoroughly marked and you know exactly what the ingredients are. The catalogs explain the purpose and sometimes offer recipes. I’m not connected to this company- just a long time purchaser.

[@megamanusa5]

This food series is epic - it really brings the past to life!

[@chasehaberman4388]

"Growing and mass producing cinnamon in Europe itself was not feasible." *pans over snow covered trees* 🤣😂

[@captainmurphy4720]

Variety is the spice of history videos. Food, countries, supernatural creatures. You could do a video on the history of the sock and I would probably be fascinated by it.

[@Fireoflearning]

I wouldn't put it past myself to one day upload a history of socks. I was reading about pencils the other day.

[@Kayenne54]

I'd be extremely interested in the history of the sock.

[@farmcentralohio]

@@Fireoflearning Now I'm curious about the history of socks lol

[@garyphisher7375]

@@Kayenne54 They were invented by Socrates - that's how they get their name.

[@WitnessRAH]

@@Fireoflearning I’m subbing because of this comment and will be looking forward to your potential video on pencils and socks 😂

[@garrett6076]

Both cinnamon and cassia are listed in the Talmud (Kereisos 6a) as ingredients in the Jewish Temple incense. I am grateful to learn more about the history and origin of these weird spices. Thank you!

[@ilari90]

I love this series more than you will ever know. Now I can throw this trivia everywhere like a smug I am.

[@sadfaery]

I am from Florida, where we have a subtropical climate. I think I might just try to acquire, plant, and grow a cinnamon tree for myself if it is possible to do so.

[@russbear31]

A few years ago I visited a botanical garden that had a grove of cinnamon trees. It was wonderful! The whole area smelled like a wonderful bakery. 😊

[@gustavalfzickermann99]

The war between the Portuguese and the Dutch lasted around 100 years and was fought on several continents. It was an important chapter in world history, with far reaching consequences.

[@danshakuimo]

The Dutch went as far as to provide artillery support from their ships for the Tokugawa Shogunate against Catholic rebels

[@gustavalfzickermann99]

@@danshakuimo Very interesting. The Northern Europeans never understood why the Portuguese and the Spanish converted the natives. The Queens made sure that on the ships there were preachers who, as soon as they reached land, baptized the local inhabitants. This made them brothers in Christ and morally impossible to kill them. The rule, even today, is that someone who enters a house uninvited can be killed. The only way to avoid this, is to kill the owners of the house first, before being killed. The great advantage of killing first, is that the property of the land changes hand. This was, basically, what happened in the USA and Australia and failed when the Germans tried to conquer "Lebensraum" in the East. (The Habsburg or the Austria, as they are called in Spain, were different.) If the Dutch helped Tokugawa to get rid of the Catholics, they wanted to retain the option of making war against Japan. A similar situation occurred when Harold Wilson, Willy Brandt and Olaf Palme did everything they could in order to make sure that the white people had to leave Africa. It was a black man, Nelson Mandela, who stopped that nonsense.

[@himesilva]

Damn you Holland! lol

[@marinazagrai1623]

@@himesilva we’d be likely to think they were religious zealots, but no…they fought for great wealth, prestige, power rolled into one.

[@TriviRocks]

@@marinazagrai1623 into a cinnamon roll ;D

[@armandopina8529]

Ceylon Cinnamon Is grown in Mexico but not allowed to be sold in the US as"cinnamon" Mexican Ceylon cinnamon has to be sold as Mexican Canela.

[@johna.4334]

Interesting. Thanx for sharing.

[@guydreamr]

Can confirm. Just added this to my Amazon grocery list. Terrific tip, thanks!

[@otroflores91]

I was just wondering why my mom's whole cinnamon looked a lot like "true cinnamon". We live near the border and she buys certain species and things from across the border.

[@quetzalcueyat]

I always wondered what Ceylon was. I thought it was bootleg cinnamon when I first came across it and never would get it. I still prefer true cinnamon though

[@punjabiuniversitygeteducat71]

wrong it only comes from sri lanka

[@vickycamarena4697]

I love the Vietnamese cinnamon bark sticks. I have some I got after a visit and I am slowly using it. It's sweet and delicious and you can just chew the bark. So good!

[@harukrentz435]

In Indonesia, Cinnamon is called "Kayu Manis" (Sweet Wood) it is indeed the lesser version of Cylon/Sri Lanka's cinnamon BUT it is more enviromental friendly as you dont need to cut the trees off to harvest it.

[@ADTillion]

In Sri Lanka, there are many cultivars and each has a different process. Even though some are techniques enforced by the British, most traditional methods were inspired by Buddhist practices and thus do not involve cutting down the plant. In fact, it’s very easy for our plants to overgrow between harvests, so have to be trimmed in-between so as to preserve the land. Hardly ever need to replant new ones.

[@nurmaybooba]

one of my favorite spices! I m so happy I found your channels!

[@ReidZer0]

Praise the KZbin algorithm. I just saw this recommend and a few minutes in I am sold and ready to binge watch

[@John-db4jh]

I'm lovin' these culinary eps. Delicious stuff.

[@Ttegegg]

But very bitter

[@AnimeIsLayfu]

What's deli on it?

[@NZOMV]

I didn't think I'd be intrigued about cinnamon until I was recommended this vid

[@radishpineapple74]

Do nutmeg next! Nutmeg has a similarly fantastical story. Like cinnamon, its origin was a mystery, but it was held later because the fruit only grew on the tiny Banda islands. Then later, colonization occurs, with the Dutch and English combatting for control of these "Spice Islands". In the Treaty of Breda of 1667, the status quo at the time was recognized, with the Dutch formally gaining control of the island of Run (and thus all the Banda islands, and they also got Suriname) at the same time that the English formally gained control of New Netherland. Thus one can say that the Dutch traded "Manhattan for nutmeg". The nutmeg monopoly was only broken only in the early 19th century.

[@beanmctriforce8755]

At 11:40 the photo you show has got my hometown, Invercargill New Zealand in the bottom right, with Dunedin, the town a couple hours drive away! That threw me but made me smile!

[@aroshliyanage4578]

Amazing video, as a Sri Lankan, you've put it very nicely together, thank you

[@conradatton7907]

Colombo is the capital of Sri Lanka previously known as Ceylon.The Dutch or the Portuguese grew cinnamon in Colombo. Colombo is divided into 15 towns. It is known that Colombo 7 was a cinnamon estate in the early 1800. I lived in a town not far away from Colombo named Kiribathgoda in 1940 it was a cinnamon estate later it became a housing estate and I can remember in my younger days seeing these large cinnamon trees.

[@shamaliwije4872]

As someone from Sri Lanka (former Ceylon), I agree with Pliny the Elder 😄 Would love to meet a Cinnamoglaus

[@kohtas]

How convenient that this should pop up as I’m eating a cinnamon roll. I’m enjoying it so much more now, thank you!

[@jasonparrish8670]

Greek Merchant: where does this incredible spice come from? Arabian Merchant: well... from this bird, and all you have to do is leave out your most expensive meat for a month, then follow the bird back to it's nest, and keep feeding it your most expensive meat until the nest falls from the weight of it's own excrement. Then you'll find the nest was really cinnamon all along... LMAO! Back when it took creativity and effort to really troll someone.

[@adamb.c.1553]

The first picture demonstrating one of cinnamon’s many uses… cinnamon rolls. That just earned you a new sub, sir.

[@felldin]

Great as usual. It's unfortunate you guys don't post videos more often.

[@deanlawson6880]

What a fascinating video! It could be said that the pursuit of Cinnamon spice was a great motivator in the exploration and settlement of much of our world!! Amazing! What a great video - Thanks for this!!

[@ninamartin1084]

The world was already 'settled'. Just by other people than europeans.

[@marinazagrai1623]

We can’t imagine not having the spices of East/South Asia…but they way we have been able to get them was a struggle - I was watching this while making a raisin bread in my bread maker. The proof of how i,portant spices are and always were is how Netherland’s revenue dropped when Indonesia struggled to achieve their independence after WWII.

[@NAH1907]

You sir, deserve more subs for such an informative history. Amazing video

[@DING1o1]

This is the best channel. You genuinely have given me fond memories of watching these at night before bed. Not to be creepy but you have a very soothing voice lmao

[@Fireoflearning]

Thank you!

[@charlie-obrien]

When I was attempting to break away from having too much sugar in my diet, i added Ceylon cinnamon to my morning coffee and also to Iced tea, oatmeal and other foods. I don't even have a single packet of sugar in the house any longer.

[@shellinsight1756]

Replacing sugar with cinnamon is exactly what I thought about as soon as saw this video. Is it healthier? - Can you have too much cinnamon?

[@cookieheka5431]

The Spanish didn't discover Turtle Island. There were millions of people living here for tens of thousands of years.

[@beware_ofdogg]

Never knew how interesting something like the history of cinnamon could be. Great video.

[@matthewharris5232]

I love this channel cause there is a lot of food I have always wanted to know how they came about. Like how was honey first discovered. Who first realized how to get honey out of a beehive and how was honey initially perceived by people in ancient times. I also find it fascinating how much food was considered either high class or poor people food in ancient times.

[@SR-zv5ue]

Would have been nice if you talked about how cinnamon was used and influential from the perspective of the civilizations who actually grew them. If you talked about how early Sri Lankan civilizations used them and how they traded them with the middle eastern civilizations and the ancient Egyptians and kept it a secret and how much the original civilization profited instead of focusing on the already well known civilizations and the Europeans.

[@whathappened2230]

I used about 6 years worth of Roman wages in my oatmeal this morning... Thank you for another great vid!

[@aymarafan7669]

I love this series of videos you’re making in Coffee, Pineapples, etc. and how became integral part of our society. It’s very nice historical perspective! I understand if you can’t right now or anything but is it possible to enable Persian subtitles on some of your videos? Mostly for History of the United States ones since friend I am in contact with in Afghanistan I think wants to learn more about America and plans to come if able to somehow get evacuated. Thank you! 😊

[@DarkMoonDroid]

Bless them and you as well!!

[@sulas548]

FYI the image of a cinnamon tree at 6;34 is not how it is grown commercially for its bark in Sri Lanka. Left to its own devices it becomes a very large tree but the cultivation of cinnamon is done by planting around eight seeds close together in bunches and cutting the entire sapling from its base when it is around 2m or 6' tall and is around 25mm or 1" in diameter, another shoot then grows from the stump.

[@DoctorDex]

Love this vast lore about something we sprinkle on our coffee these days

[@day1avsfan907]

That was really interesting, great video

[@Dr.PlagueDr]

Very cool, I’d love to see a video discussing the discovery of peppers or tomatoes. New world stuff getting super integrated into Europe and further is super interesting Edit: damn this guys a psychic or something

[@mtbkmaniac1]

And corn too

[@mattis8205]

Luftmench is a Yiddish (air-man) term that describes a man that doesn't hold down a regular job, nor does he have one particular profession and is extremely poor, but gets by somehow, performing various tasks and making deals, soliciting charity, whatever he has to to survive. It comes from the Jewish ghettos of Europe in the pre-WWII era.

[@broepic9472]

I once had a sub in middle school who gave everyone sticks of cinnamon to eat plain and told us that they used to be considered a treat? 😭 I've never got that confirmed but he ate one too and never said he was kidding...

[@sophiarokhlin360]

Thanks for this awesome video!

[@patoteto2]

I have a Cinnamon tree in my house and let me tell you, it smells delicious always. Although the smell it’s slightly different than in its dry form

[@lionheartzcs2]

Now this...THIS is what I call good clickbait. Not in that it is misleading but in the fact that it baited my click out of raw curiosity. Good show.

[@nusratparveen82]

I’ve been watching u since your video on medieval kings in modern times.

[@MurderMostFowl]

Great video! I always assumed that Cassia cinnamon was found much more recently ( perhaps in the 19th century ) as a copycat spice… who knew it’s origin was just as old as true cinnamon!

[@Magos_Fritz]

I tried Ceylon cinnamon about 10 years ago for the first time and it was so much better compared to the cheap stuff you usual find here in the u.s. It's more fragrant with a more pleasant tast. I bought about a liter of it and it's still half full.

[@lahirumadushanka7983]

Dont buy them in bulk. It reduces the quality with time

[@Magos_Fritz]

@@lahirumadushanka7983 I only bought a single liter container of it. I learned my lesson after, on a whim, decided to buy African ground cocoa beans that came packaged with six cans. Makes for very delicious hot cocoa but I doubt I'll drink that much within my life-time. Not even mentioning that I only have one left. The others were lost or seemingly disappeared over the years

[@Numba003]

Well, I never realized cinnamon was tree bark before this lol. Honestly, that’s probably a wee bit sad on my part 😅. Thank you for the informative video, as always! Stay well out there everybody, and God bless you friends. :)

[@DarkMoonDroid]

🙂 Bless you also!

[@mistergrandpasbakery9941]

Excellent video! I'm a baker by trade and can deeply appreciate high quality cinnamon! 😋

[@alanmonteros6432]

What's absolutely blowing my mind is how goods from all the way in Southeast Asia could find their way to Europe in the times of the Greeks

[@jackmaddox4960]

At 3:30 in the video the big spicy bird's name is shown on-screen as 'Cinna-MOL-ogus', while the narrator pronounces it 'Cinna-MOG-olus'... Cinnemogolus sounds like some magical creature from the Harry Potter universe, while Cinnamologus sounds like the name of a tech startup that has something to do with baking.... "Syn-E-molygis: for all your virtual toast needs..."

[@jburtonca]

I'm in Canada and I get true cinnamon from a Sri lankan grocery store. True cinnamon is sweeter and more complex in flavor than cassia. I only use the true cinnamon.

[@matambale]

Absolutely agree.

[@algonquin91]

Fascinating to contemplate how cinnamon regularly made its way to Egypt 4,000 years ago! It’d be interested to learn about how such far distance trade was conducted back then and what civilizations existed in Sri Lanka and Indonesia four millennia ago!

[@shyjus5956]

There are record of indus civilization having ships which used to trade with middle east & mesapatomia.

[@bakthihapuarachchi3447]

The interesting thing is Sri Lankan written history only goes so far back as to about 2500 years, and it is widely assumed that prior to that Sri Lanka was inhabited by primitive, uncontacted hunter gatherer people, who wouldn't know anything about cinnamon cultivation or international trade. There is some larger story here, unfortunately hidden by historical obscurity

[@MegaDrain]

Man: Has complete knowledge of how to create massive ships carrying and sustaining multiple personnel for months at a time. Has complete knowledge on how to make massive castles and other structures while being both beautiful and stable. Believed for hundreds of years that cinnamon came from a big magical bird because they didn't know where it came from.

[@0x0404]

Cinnamon was still pretty expensive back in the 1800's. Some recipes showed in townsends like the cheap rice pudding used allspice.

[@alexforex192]

Hi friend. I know you.✌

[@naiman4535]

Modern scientific research has shown that the aromatic essential oils in Cinnamon have strong antiseptic properties; one way that these antiseptic properties can be put to good use is to fight fermentation and putrefaction in the gut; for this purpose, Cinnamon pairs up quite nicely with Cardamom, which has similar antiseptic properties, and is also a tonic to the stomach.

[@edwardp.shikles7251]

Cinnamon has such an interesting story...one of my favorite spices!

[@annastevens1526]

Super-fun learning experience! Wonder if it might please be possible to throw up unfamiliar terms on-screen when you're mentioning them, eg at 2:30 where a new term in Ancient Hebrew is introduced? Would make it easier to understand & remember new information. Greatly appreciated!

[@yiannisroubos8846]

Australian here. Kassia is very very rare here. Every supermarket has Ceylon cinnamon. I’ve only seen Kassia once and someone gave it to me. I think they got it from an Asian market. Interesting how in the US they use Kassia

[@HorrorshowEU]

Kassia is by far the most prevalent in Europe to my knowledge, atleast in Northern Europe you'd have to actively search to find Ceylon cinnamon. They are very different in flavor, that's for sure.

[@yiannisroubos8846]

@@HorrorshowEU I wanna try Kassia now. It seems so exotic 🤣

[@jak6326]

I use both but buy my cassia bark from the Asian supermarket x

[@Leo911-v1t]

i am from ceylon/sri lanka and i have tasted both cinnamons. But the ceylon cinnamon is mostly exported so they are really expensive even in ceylon! but taste the best. some people sell cassia as ceylon cinnamon, maybe thats why its available in australia @Yiannis Roubus?

[@yiannisroubos8846]

@@Leo911-v1t i looked at the cinnamon in my cupboard and it’s definitely Ceylon. I feel bad for you that we here have a product grown in your country. But we have a similar issue. Beef and lamb are expensive I’m Australia yet we export it all over the world. I had a mate from Saudi Arabia and he said Australian beef is cheaper in Saudi than it is here. So there you go!

[@dilshansooriyaarachchi804]

Cinnamon is just not a spice. It proves how old is the civilization and trade in srilanka . Even 5000 years old Egyptian mummies used it.

[@Patrick3183]

Amazing timing I just got a job at a spice shop and they sell seven varieties of cinnamon

[@originalsusser]

Great presentation! I now know everything I will ever need to know about this fascinating spice. 1st class job... thanks

[@bengagnon5452]

This man literally only produces gold.

[@swaters5127]

Who literally produces gold?

[@bengagnon5452]

@@swaters5127 Justin, the man behind this chanel.

[@odmcclintic]

Interesting topic I’ve never thought about before, great video!

[@HSJ1076]

Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka, and subspecies like Cassia are native to China and south east Asian countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, India and was spread through it's spice route inland from Afghanistan to the Middle East and from south India to banks of Egypt..No mystery

[@MissMagic]

It's very easy to tell cinnamon from cassia when not powdered and not impossible then. Cassia is mislabelled as cinnamon because it is cheaper.

[@dawnelder9046]

I loved cinnamon toast as a kid. My father was worried by the amount of cinnamon I ate. He should have been worried about the grass products, wheat and sugar instead. I had all the symptoms of gluten intolerance by age 5 and diabetics runs in the family. The cinnamon and butter were the only good parts.

[@alexforex192]

Hi friend. I know you.✌

[@randyross5630]

Cinnamon is a Testosterone Inhibitor and Highly Estrogenic... FYI

[@LTPottenger]

True. Grains are pretty much poison and not natural to the human diet.

[@donotneed2250]

@@randyross5630, but it didn't stop me from reproducing. In other words, if your statement is true I should not be a father then.

[@ooooneeee]

Cassia cinnamon contains more coumarin than ceylon cinnamon. Too much coumarin is toxic to humans. The solution to avoid this is just to switch to ceylon cinnamon instead of eating less cinnamon though.

[@mikeyfrederick1232]

My toast 98% cinnamon..2% sugar..oh and great content sir..interesting and super informative

[@heliopolitan444]

In the super market if you go into the Hispanic section you can find Mexican spices in cellophane bags, and the cinnamon they usually have is true cinnamon 😋 it has less heat and citrus notes it's so good

[@elizabethgates8490]

I love documentaries like this! I love the "black market" tales of spices

[@ExploringFate]

Best drinking game ever . When he says Cinnamon take a shot alternating between Fireball & RumChata when he says it.

[@drhowslounge]

Awesome Info and Pres! Thank you for this!

[@Hamman5]

Very interesting. Cant wait for next weeks history of fruits and vegetables episode

[@naiman4535]

What is sold as Cinnamon essential oil in health food stores today is distilled from the leaves of the Cinnamon tree, and is very, very heating in temperament. If you want to use some in making a massage oil, I strongly suggest that you be very conservative and sparing in the dosage, or your massage oil will be too hot, and could almost set you on fire; I found this out the hard way!

[@melissawiekharvey5037]

On a related note, it would be interesting to see your take on thieves oil, which contains cinnamon essential oil. It was used by grave robbers during the plague - supposedly.

[@tjejojyj]

Excellent video. “I beg your pardon? Cinnamon takes a backseat to no babka. People love cinnamon. It should be on tables in restaurants along with salt and pepper. Anytime someone says ‘Ooh. This is so good. What’s in this?’ The answer invariably comes back ‘Cinnamon, cinnamon’. Again and again. Lessor babka, I think not.” Jerry Seinfeld