Cinnamon is one of the first known spices. ‘True cinnamon’ is referred to in Chinese writings dating back to 2800 BCE but it is native to Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon).

In ancient Egypt it was used for embalming rituals and the Romans believed its fragrance to be sacred and burned it at funerals, but it was not popular as a cooking spice. Physicians from the Middle Ages used cinnamon to help treat throat ailments. The Europeans began to regard cinnamon as a status symbol as only a very wealthy person could obtain an exotic spice from the East. It is believed that it was needed to cover up the smell of cured meat, which often spoiled during the winter.

Cinnamon, along with spices like clove and nutmeg, eventually played a key role in Europe's expansion into Asia. By the 17th century, cinnamon had become the most profitable spice in the Dutch East India Company. The spice consists of the dried inner bark (quills) and has a delicately fragrant aroma and a warm flavour. There are hundreds of types of cinnamon but four main types are used commercially, Ceylon, Cassia, Saigon, and Korintje, Ceylon being the best as it doesn’t contain harmful coumarin.

The first recorded recipe for a snickerdoodle appeared in the Home-Maker in 1889 written by the Virginian, Marion Harland. It wasn’t a cookie but a cake sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. The recipe was likely brought to America by Dutch-German immigrants and developed into a cinnamon dusted cookie by the 1930s. #GoldenApron23