![]() ![]() In 1518, the Portuguese built a fort on Ceylon, which enabled them to protect the island, so helping them to develop a monopoly in the cinnamon trade and generate very high profits. When the Portuguese arrived, they needed to increase production significantly, and so enslaved many other members of the Ceylonese native population, forcing them to work in cinnamon harvesting. The Salagama then gave the finished product to the king as a form of tribute. During the peeling process, they curled the bark into the ‘stick’ shape still associated with the spice today. People belonging to the ethnic group called the Salagama would peel the bark off young shoots of the cinnamon plant in the rainy season, when the wet bark was more pliable. ![]() Before Europeans arrived on the island, the state had organized the cultivation of cinnamon. Seeking the high profits promised by the cinnamon market, Portuguese traders arrived on the island of Ceylon in the Indian Ocean toward the end of the 15th century. These prices, coupled with the increasing demand, spurred the search for new routes to Asia by Europeans eager to take part in the spice trade. Because the overland trade route allowed for only small quantities of the spice to reach Europe, and because Venice had a virtual monopoly of the trade, the Venetians could set the price of cinnamon exorbitantly high. The spice then travelled from that great trading city to markets all around Europe. European traders sailed there to purchase their supply of cinnamon, then brought it back to Venice. Their journey ended when they reached Alexandria. They took it from India, where it was grown, on camels via an overland route to the Mediterranean. At that time, cinnamon was transported by Arab merchants, who closely guarded the secret of the source of the spice from potential rivals. ![]() This led to a growth in demand for cinnamon and other spices. Toward the end of the Middle Ages, the European middle classes began to desire the lifestyle of the elite, including their consumption of spices. Cinnamon was also reported to have health benefits, and was thought to cure various ailments, such as indigestion. At a banquet, a host would offer guests a plate with various spices piled upon it as a sign of the wealth at his or her disposal. ![]() In the Middle Ages, Europeans who could afford the spice used it to flavor food, particularly meat, and to impress those around them with their ability to purchase an expensive condiment from the ‘exotic’ East. Most often, however, the spice found its primary use as an additive to food and drink. In ancient Rome, mourners attending funerals burnt cinnamon to create a pleasant scent. It was known in biblical times, and is mentioned in several books of the Bible, both as an ingredient that was mixed with oils for anointing people’s bodies, and also as a token indicating friendship among lovers and friends. You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.Ĭinnamon is a sweet, fragrant spice produced from the inner bark of trees of the genus Cinnamomum, which is native to the Indian sub-continent. ![]()
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