Sri Lanka had gone through many name changes in its past. It was once known as Tabrobane, Erendib as well as Ceylon. In ancient times it traded its spices with the Romans, Greeks and the Arabs.
Old 14th-century trade route maps show that almost all routes pass through Sri Lanka for their exotic spices. The Portuguese, Dutch and English found the country attractive and lucrative for their spice trade in Europe. It seems where there is spice; the Dutch East India Company was not far away.
Cinnamon or Kurundu is the real Cinnamon which is a plant endemic to Sri Lanka. Most other cinnamons are from related species of plants. Cinnamon trade has had a long history and records show that it was used in Egypt as early as 2000BC.
It has been used for centuries in ancient Sri Lanka, not only as a spice but also for medicinal purposes.
Today it is used mainly in baking, to spice up chocolate, beverages, desserts, cosmetics and pharmaceutical preparations. Sri Lanka is the largest producer and exporter of cinnamon in the world.
Curry Leaves or Karapincha is a tropical tree native to India and Sri Lanka. The leaves are mostly used for seasoning and for spicing up curries. Curry leaves have many medical properties and are used as an anti-diabetic.
Because of the climate, other spices that originated elsewhere in Asia, have flourished on the island making it the centre of the spice trade through history.
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