There is More to Cinnamon than Meets the Eye

The Coincidental Discovery of Ceylon Cinnamon

After the Portuguese took over the control of the pepper trade in Northern India, they shifted their focus to cinnamon, another sought-after spice among the wealthy Europeans. Although they often traced cinnamon on Arabic cargos, they had no idea of its origin. However, when they ventured into the Indian Ocean in search of the spice, they got lost in the unknown and decided to pull in on an unfamiliar coast. The minute they tasted leaves of Ceylon cinnamon tree on the shore, they knew that they had found it.

For more information on the pepper trade, please refer to The Unknown History of Black Pepper.