Cinnamon Lore and Legend

Cinnamon Lore

The origin of cinnamon was a highly-guarded secret of the Arabs, who first brought cinnamon to the West. They concocted a number of magical myths to hide the location of the crops and enhance the mystique of this spice fit for a king.

Herodotus III wrote of the large Phoenix bird gathering the priceless spice sticks. Gatherers would lure the bird with heavy pieces of meat which the bird would laboriously haul to their nest. As legend would have it, the weight of the meat would cause the nest to fall, allowing the valuable sticks to be harvested.

More About Cinnamon and Cassia:

• Cinnamon and Cassia Selection, Storage and Usage
• What is cassia?
• Cinnamon and Health
• Cinnamon History
• Cinnamon Lore
• Cinnamon Recipes
_{Cinnamon and Cassia Photo © 2007 Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, licensed to About.com, Inc.}