The quest for cinnamon was one of the major factors that led the Europeans to explore the world in the 15th century. Cinnamon?s value during this time cannot be overstated. In the 1st century C.E., Pliny the Elder wrote that 350 grams of cinnamon was equal to 5 kilograms of silver, or about 15 times the value of silver per weight. Cinnamon comes from the Laurel tree, a tropical evergreen that grows in low altitudes and needs a moist, hot climate in which to thrive. Cinnamon bark comes in sticks, or quills. When peeled from the tree, they naturally roll up, and are then threaded on a string and air dried indoors, as direct sunlight would dry them out too quickly and they would lose flavor. The difference between sweet cinnamon and cassia cinnamon is quite apparent; sweet cinnamon quills will have a layered look to them, as if several were rolled together, while cassia will appear as one thick piece of bark. Sweet cinnamon is also lighter in color, and as the name implies, of a sweeter flavor. Cinnamon quills have a long, almost indefinite shelf life, while cinnamon powder will lose its flavor over time.
