Cinnamon and Cardamom in Sri Lanka

Die fischer überliefern dass im süden
Auf einer insel reich an zimmt und öl ...
[The fishermen tell us that in the south
On an island rich in cinnamon and oil ...]
Stefan George

I was just reading the poem by Stefan George from which the two lines above are taken [1] and thought I could write about two of the many spices for which Sri Lanka is known.
These spices include:
Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum)
Cardamom / green cardamom pods
Nutmeg & Mace
Turmeric
Curry Leaves
Lemongrass
Black pepper
Cloves

In this blog post, I will focus on the first two, cinnamon and cardamom. This is for personal reasons. Firstly, I remembered three visits to Sri Lanka in the 1970s, when planes still landed at the old airport. Back then, walking from the plane to the terminal meant crossing the tarmac. A mixture of cinnamon and kerosene, along with the heat, would hit you. It was a very typical smell. I was a little disappointed when, after all these years, I landed at the new airport in Sri Lanka and we went straight from the plane into the terminal building, so the particular aroma is no longer there. However, I've developed a close relationship with cinnamon since then. I've also been using cardamom for a very long time, more intensively after my trip to Sikkim three years ago; one of the pictures is from Sikkim. Especially after my trip to Saudi Arabia last autumn, I was able to reconnect with earlier flavor experiences in Jordan, because in the Arab world, cardamom is a spice used, for example, to flavor coffee.

Cardamom plant in Sri Lanka

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum)

Spices from Sri Lanka (taprobane, serendib) reached Greece and the Roman Empire as early as antiquity [2]. In the 14th century, many trade routes for spices passed through Sri Lanka. Later, Portugal, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom sought sea routes to Sri Lanka and other spice islands to break the monopoly held by Arab middlemen.

Cardamom
The name comes from a latinized Greek word, namely καρδάμωμον (kardámōmon) [3], which was formerly used to mean cress [4]. As I learned in Sikkim, the plant is demanding and needs plenty of sunshine, but not too much, and sufficient water. There, Amomum subulatum, which has brown seeds, is more commonly cultivated, while in Sri Lanka Elettaria cardamomum with black seeds is more prevalent. The seeds are used as a spice, but they are left in the pods. Many powders also contain the seed pods, increasing the quantity but not the flavor. Terpenes are responsible for the flavor. Cardamom is expensive.

Cinnamon
Cinnamon is obtained from the inner bark of various trees. Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) originates from Sri Lanka, and this variety has a low coumarin content. Many cinnamon powders are made from cassia, which has a significantly higher coumarin content. The word cinnamon can be traced back to Latin and the Ancient Greek κιννάμωμον (kinnámōmon, later κίνναμον: kínnamon), the Greek being based on a Phoenician word [5]. Cinnamon was already being imported to Egypt 4000 years ago. Cinnamaldehyde is its main component [6] which we smell and taste. Even though it is more expensive and cumbersome, one should buy and use the bark pieces.

Cardamom plant in Sikkim

Links and Annotations:
[1] Stefan George: Der Herr der Insel. In: Die Bücher der Hirten- und Preisgedichte der Sagen und Sänge und der hängenden Gärten. Zweite Ausgabe. Georg Bondi, Berlin 1899. S. 20/21. 
[Stefan George: The Lord of the Island. In: The Books of Pastoral and Praise Poems, Legends and Songs, and the Hanging Gardens. Second Edition. Georg Bondi, Berlin 1899. pp. 20/21.]
The book sells for €190.00 today!
[2] https://lakpura.com/pages/spices?srsltid=AfmBOopT05VmP5EKm60bZXOE-LIdzc820iQPto49S5JJ-Z57afQ5l7DA
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardamom
[4] Attested in Mycenaean Greek, written in Linear B syllabic script. And I won't write anything now about Michael Ventris, who was instrumental in the first attempts at decipherment.
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamaldehyde

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