In Ceylon the spices were discovered by the Portuguese in the year 1518. According to the ancient history, cinnamon was well known as one of the first spices that became very popular among the other spices in trading market. Spices have motivated many historical voyages. Christopher Columbus and Vasco De Gamma explored the world searching for spices especially in Sri Lanka. The history revealed that the ancient Ceylon had done most of the spice trading with Europe and the Middle East, thus the recognition for Ceylon spices dated back for centuries, for its value and the quality. Today the Sri Lankan spices are most popular in the world for their high quality, freshness, aroma, and the nutritional values and have gained the trust, and has won the hearts and minds of so many number one celebrity chefs in the world and has accredited by a number of countries world wide.
56% of Sri Lankan agricultural exports consist of spices such as cinnamon, pepper, cloves cardamoms, nutmeg, mace and vanilla, allied products and essential oils. These varieties of condiments are used to season, flavour and aromatize, various forms of cuisines in the Asian continent and across the world.