Worlds No.01 Spices

🌾 History of Sri Lankan Spices

  • Ancient trade: As early as 2,000 years ago, Arab, Chinese, and Indian merchants came to Sri Lanka to buy spices like cinnamon and cardamom.

  • European colonization:

    • The Portuguese arrived in 1505 mainly for the cinnamon trade.

    • The Dutch later took control in 1658 and expanded spice cultivation.

    • The British (from 1796) turned Sri Lanka into a plantation economy, producing cinnamon, pepper, cloves, and later, tea.

  • These spices made Sri Lanka world-famous and drew global attention for centuries.