Ceylon Spices
Sri Lanka (Formerly Ceylon) has been famous for an exquisite range of spices for centuries. It’s these spices that are largely behind the mouth-watering flavors of Sri Lankan cuisine, be it curry of vegetable, red or white meat, fish, seafood or even some dessert.
Today Ceylon Spices compose of a large variety of products, ranging from True Cinnamon to Nutmeg. This sector is dominated by smallholders, and over 70% of cultivated land is smallholdings and home gardens.
Ceylon Cinnamon Sticks and Powder
The dried and scraped peel of the inner bark of the Cinnamomum Zeylanicum tree has traditionally been termed ‘True Cinnamon / Ceylon Cinnamon’ in recognition of this indigenous Sri Lankan plant being the source of the world’s finest cinnamon.
This contrasts with Cassia, which is grown in China, Indonesia and Vietnam and which gives a lower quality alternative and also contains the toxic substance coumarin – which is not found in Ceylon Cinnamon.
Cinnamon is sold in many grades. The highest grade is sold in the form of Quills, which are several peels joined together by overlaps, the hollow of which has been filled with small pieces of the same peel. Quills are sold in four different grades (Alba, Continental (C), Mexican (M) and Hamburg (H)) depending on the diameter of the rolled quills.
Several other grades such as featherings and chips, made up of broken pieces and un-peelable bark, are also available. Cinnamon with its woody, mild yet exotic flavor is arguably the most popular spice in the world. Besides its many uses in baking and cooking, it also provides a wonderful aroma to freshen your home.
Grades: Alba, C5 Special, C5, C4, M5, M4, H1, H2, Cinnamon chips and featherings
Ceylon Cloves
Cloves are the aromatic dried and unopened whole flower buds of the evergreen tree and impart a strongly aromatic fragrance along with a fiery taste. Cloves are used in a variety of food preparations as well as in Ayurvedic / Chinese medicine, and dentistry where the essential oil (extracted from the Clove leaf) is used as a painkiller for dental emergencies.
Grades: Handpicked, Grade No. 1, Cloves FAQ
Ceylon Pepper and Powder
Pepper is produced from the green unripe berries of the Pepper plant, and is the resultant dried whole fruit.
Sri Lankan Black Pepper has a high Piperine content (the alkaloid responsible for the pungency of Black Pepper) and is widely used as a “hot” cooking spice and seasoning.
Conversely, White Pepper is used to get the pepper flavor without the heat or color of Black Pepper,
Extracts of Black Pepper (piperine, oleoresin and essential oil) are also extracted from whole berries and have uses as both spice and flavoring agents in the food industry, and also cosmetic uses in perfumery and the pharmaceutical industries.
Grades: Grade 1, FAQ , Light Berry (Regular, Cleaned, Steam Sterilized, Gamma Sterilized.)
Ceylon Cardamom
Cardamom is an expensive spice in the market. Pods are available whole or split and the seeds are sold loose or ground. It is best to buy the whole pods as ground Cardamom quickly loses flavor.
Cardamom is mainly used in the food industry as a flavoring agent in curry or meat dishes, sweets, confectionaries, in bakery products and as an ingredient of curry powder. In addition, Cardamom Oil is used for flavoring of beverages and drinks such as coffee and tea.
It is also used in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine due to its powerful aromatic, stimulant and carminative properties.
Nutmeg and Mace
Nutmeg is the oval mottled brown nut of the Myristica Fragrans Houtt tree. Nutmeg is used in many sweet and savory dishes to impart a slightly sweet zesty flavor. Nutmeg is traded both with and without the shell. The essential oil and oleoresin (Nutmeg butter) are valued in the perfumery, pharmaceutical and as a natural food flavoring for baked goods, syrups, beverages and sweets.
Mace is the dried red/orange/yellow aril covering on the surface of the Nutmeg seed and is used in many food preparations as a spice. It has a more delicate flavor than the sweeter nutmeg and is preferred in lighter colored dishes for the saffron-like hue it imparts.
Ginger Powder
Ceylon Ginger is smaller and has yellowish flesh. They have a refined flavor and a delightful scent. Ginger is an essential ingredient in the Sri Lankan home. Naturally, our local farmers are committed to growing Ginger in its purest form.
Ginger can be used fresh, dried, powdered, or as an oil or juice. It’s a very common ingredient in recipes. It’s sometimes added to processed foods and cosmetics.
Vanilla
The active ingredient of Vanilla is vanillin in which it imparts the flavor to the product. Sri Lankan Vanilla possess a higher vanillin content which fetch higher prices from the end users revolving the global market. Once the product is picked by the farmer, it is required to go through a rigorous post harvesting processing methodology.
