Pure Ceylon Cinnamon
Cinnamon is known as one of the first traded and most popular spices from the ancient world. It belongs to the family Lauraceae and there are more than 250 species and sub species. The expensive and rare cinnamon variety is known as “Ceylon cinnamon” which is native to Sri Lanka. Due to unique chemical properties over other varieties, Ceylon variety has high reputation and demand in the world.
Ceylon cinnamon contains more than 80 chemical components. Cinnamaldehyde is the essential component of the bark and eugenol is the main component found in the cinnamon leaf oil.
This delightfully exotic, sweet-flavoured spice traditionally obtained from the inner bark of Cinnamomum trees which when dried rolls into a tubular-sticks, known commercially as “quill”.
One tablespoon of ground Cinnamon contains
• 19 calories
• ‘0’ grams of fat, sugar or protein
• 4 grams of fiber
• 68% manganese
• 8% calcium
• 4% iron
• 3% vitamin K
Grades of Cinnamon
• Cinnamon Quills C5
• Cinnamon Quills C4
• Cinnamon Chips
• Cinnamon Broken
• Cinnamon Tea-Bag-Cut
• Cinnamon Powder
Pepper
Pepper, commonly called “King of spices”, has dominated the international spice market for ages. Despite the fact that most pepper originated from South of India, a variety of wild pepper is native to Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon). Pepper comes from an evergreen climbing tree called Piper nigrum. The woody shrub belongs to the family piperaceae.
Supported by a network of aerial roots, the Pepper shrub grows to a height of about 10m. However, a height of 4m is maintained by pruning. Flowers produced are densely spiked. Peppercorns are also produced from fruits that resemble berries. These contain single seeds.
Ceylon pepper is important in the world spice market due to its high piperine content, strong aroma and rich flavour. Pepper has two varieties named ‘white pepper’ and ‘black pepper’.
Black Pepper
Black pepper is produced by sun drying ripe peppercorns.
White Pepper
This type of pepper is produced by the removal of the outer covering membrane. This can be done before or after the process of drying in order to obtain the inner seed.
Cloves
Although the time and manner of introduction of cloves into Sri Lanka is not known, it is speculated that the Arabs or colonialists brought the crop to the island, since Sri Lanka was a major market for spices.
Cloves are the unopened flower buds of a tree in the Myrtaceae family. The evergreen tree is called Eugenia caryophyllus. The clove tree is of medium size and has a smooth bark. By distilling the flower buds, the leaves or even the branches remaining after the removal of the flower buds, clove oil is obtained.
Varieties
Whereas there has not been any identification of specific varieties, certain trees produce large sized clove buds. These are known as Bothal Karabu.
Nutmeg and Mace
Although some reports show that Nutmeg and Mace was introduced into Sri Lanka at the beginning of the 19th century, evidence showing that the plant was brought much earlier by merchants also exists. The tree is native to the East of Indonesia. Apart from Sri Lanka, other major producers of the crop include India, China, Trinidad, Grenada, and Indonesia.
The Nutmeg tree belongs to the family Myristicaceae and its species name is Myristica fragrans. It is evergreen and grows to a maximum height of about 20m. The flowers are unisexual while the leaves are dark green and alternate. Nonetheless, bisexual flowers also exist.
The fruits are fleshy and broad. They also have longitudinal ridges along their circumference. During ripening, the fruit’s color changes to yellow. Moreover splitting of the pericarp into two halves also occurs thereby exposing the seeds. These seeds are shiny and are covered by red aril.
The nutmeg tree produces two commercial products: Nutmeg and Mace.
Nutmeg
This is the kernel of the egg-shaped seed of the tree.
Mace
This is the reddish and net-like outer covering of the seed’s shell.
Cardamom
Cardamom is widely referred to as the “Queen of Spices”. Earlier in history, Cardamom was mainly grown in Southern India. It was used for medication, flavoring, and even as an offering. By the year 1524, cardamom’s trade in the international spice market had immensely grown. Cardamom is now a major spice product in Sri Lanka.
The Cardamom plant belongs to the family Zingiberaceae and its species name is Elettaria cardamom. It is a perennial plant with thick rhizomes that are irregular in shape.
Turmeric
The rhizome of the Perennial plant of the Ginger Family. Especially known for its Strong Aroma and Color. Used as a spice and as a Dyeing ingredient. Consumed the world over for its unmatched benefit to health. Sri Lankan Turmeric is well known for its high amount of Curcumin, which is the main constituent ingredient.
Curry Leaves
Curry Leaves powder or (Karapincha) is a dry version of the curry leaves thogayal. It can be stored for a much longer period and it is easy to carry when you are travelling. It is easy and simple to make and it can be used as an alternative to ‘dosai milagai podi’ so you can have it as an accompaniment for idlis and dosas along with some gingelly oil.
Curry Leaves has enormous benefits and its iron content helps ladies overcome their menstrual problems too. So it is advised to include lot of curry leaves in our diet and when it is consumed like a thogayal or (Karapincha) you do not throw away the leaves like we do when it is put in sambar or other dishes.
Lemongrass
Native to Sri Lanka, this hand-cut lemongrass tisane (an herbal tea) comes from the island’s central highlands in Uva Province. It has been used in cooking and medicine in south Asia for more than 2,000 years. Unlike tea, lemongrass is naturally caffeine-free. Our Ceylon Lemongrass has intense lemon and refreshing minty flavors and it can be brewed several times. It is grown organically, but not yet certified.
Ginger
For ages, ginger has been used as a spice as well as medicine by many people. These applications were mainly popular in the Arabic, Indian, and Asian traditional communities. Later, the plant was exported into the European countries. Today, large scale cultivation is largely practiced in Sri Lanka, China, Australia, India, Hawaii, Japan, and Pakistan.
The ginger plant belongs to the Zingiberaceae family. Its species name is Zingiber officinale. The crop grows to a height of about 45 cm. Leaves are lanceolate in nature and have a length of 18cm. The commercial products are the underground stems and rhizomes.
Vanilla
The Most premium Quality Vanilla Beans from Sri Lanka. Flavor derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla. This is the basis of the ‘Vanilla Flavor’.