Cinnamon Sticks in the form of quills can only be found in Sri Lanka. The pipe shaped Cinnamon Sticks or quills are the better-quality inner back of the Cinnamon tree. They are harvested at prime of its life. The grades of Cinnamon Sticks are done according to the diameter of the Stick. The better Cinnamon Sticks are prized higher.
Cinnamon (Botanical Name - Cinnamomum zeylinicum) is aboriginal in Sri Lanka. It belongs to the family of Lauraceae family and is treated as one of the valuable product of our country due to its unique features. The branches grow up to a height of 10-15cm and with its strong aroma they are also being collected at the processing.
Peeling off the external bay and then rubbing the branch with a brass rod is how it is done. The loosed inner bark is then rolled into quills and the external wooden portion is thrown away. Smaller scrapings of Cinnamon are used to fill the caves inside the quills and they are dried for 4-7 days which are then sent for export. Cinnamon of Sri Lanka is not only the world’s leading source of true Cinnamon, four-fifths of the world output but it also has the excellent rankings.
Cinnamon in the history has been an iconic spice that was used in Chinese and Ayurdevic medicine. It also serves as one of the major food flavoring ingredient for both cooking and baking.
Cinnamon is constantly being used in flavoring sweetmeats, salads, soups, stews, drinks and sauces. In the modern days Cinnamon has become a trend as a drink and as a tea. Cinnamon is used as a mosquito repellent while the leaves are being used in the perfumery and pharmaceutical industry.