National Cinnamon Day – November 1, 2022, history, significance
November 1 is National Cinnamon Day, and we are excited to be celebrating one of the world’s ancient spices. Did you know that cinnamon, according to Chinese medicine, can be used to treat illnesses both minor and major? Cinnamon has been around for over 4,000 years! No wonder we can get a lot of healthiness out of it.
History of National Cinnamon Day
Native to Ceylon, which is modern day Sri Lanka, cinnamon’s first recordings are from Chinese writings that date as far back as 2800 BC. Even today in the Cantonese language, cinnamon is still known as “kwai”. And in the Malay language, it goes by “kayumanis”, which means “sweet wood”. This is certainly an apt description of this spicy but uniquely sweet flavor.
During medieval times, doctors found that cinnamon worked well as a treatment for coughs, sore throats and hoarseness. It may also have been considered a status symbol and was often used as a special imported gift given to monarchs, royalty and other people of importance.
Cinnamon, along with other precious spices might seem rather innocuous now, but in the early days of their discovery, several wars were fought over the lands where cinnamon came from. The Portuguese, Dutch and British armies all sought to conquer Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka) in an effort to obtain full access to their spices.
Today, sourcing cinnamon comes with much less angst and political struggle as, for most people, it’s easy to simply pop over to the local grocery store, health food store or spice shop to pick some up. Typically cinnamon can be found in two varieties, ground or whole. Ground cinnamon is used in many different recipes for baking and cooking, while whole cinnamon sticks are more often steeped into beverages or infused into flavoring syrups.
Of course, cinnamon is really the star of the show when it comes to the beloved pumpkin pie spice. Combined with allspice, nutmeg and clove, cinnamon is the base for this grouping of flavors that represents all things fall.
In honor of National Cinnamon Day, it’s time to get creative and enjoy cinnamon in a whole myriad of ways!
NATIONAL CINNAMON DAY TIMELINE
2000 B.C.
Made its Way to Egypt
The moment it reaches Egypt, they use it for embalming their mummies.
600 B.C.
Hidden Gem
The main source of cinnamon is still unknown to the vast majority of the Western world.
1270
First Known Source
A Persian physician discovers that the spice grows in Sri Lanka.
1767
Cinnamon Estates
The British establish the largest cinnamon estates in India.
HOW TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL CINNAMON DAY
Cook with cinnamon
Luckily for us, cinnamon goes with and into almost everything. Spend this holiday looking up recipes that have cinnamon as an ingredient and try them out. Invite your family and friends to have a taste of the spicy holiday.
Buy cinnamon
If you’re feeling lazy, go to your local store and stock up on cinnamon spices, snacks, or foods. We are quite aware no one ever runs out of cinnamon, but it’s always good to have more.
Invite friends to a tea party
Cinnamon makes things better in so many ways, and using it in tea is one of them. It gives this warm fuzzy feeling that we are all about. Make your tea and your day better by adding a little bit of cinnamon.
5 IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT CINNAMON SPICE
Only for the highflyers
It was so expensive; it became a gift only for monarchs and deities.
It was kept in the closet
Its source was kept a secret by spice traders to maintain a monopoly as suppliers.
Cinnamon birds
A famous myth suggests cinnamon birds construct their nest with cinnamon sticks they collect from an unknown place.
It costs an arm and a leg
A Roman pound of cinnamon was worth the wage of 50 months’ labor.
Funeral pyres
It was used for its scent when cremating the dead in Rome — Roman Emperor Nero burned a year’s supply at his wife’s funeral.
WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL CINNAMON DAY
Health benefits
Cinnamon has been linked to a couple of health benefits. Some health practitioners advise taking cinnamon in warm water first thing in the morning as it has anti-inflammatory properties. Improve your health with fewer pills and more organic spice.
It smells nice
We love the smell of cinnamon and the tingly taste, so we love any day dedicated to doing everything cinnamon. Cinnamon gives us this aroma that makes people feel welcomed, calm, and bougie, and we absolutely love it!
The Cinnamon Challenge
In 2016, the world decided to give us a trend, but this time they made it CINNAMOtic! A social media trend made waves with people consuming a spoonful of cinnamon. It ended in tears, and we enjoyed every bit of this hilarious trend. National Cinnamon Day gives us an opportunity to enact this silly trend and much more.
