The Spanish and Portuguese word for cinnamon, referring to the spice obtained from the inner bark of cinnamon trees.
From Latin 'canella' (small reed or tube), referring to the quill-like shape of dried cinnamon bark. Spanish adopted this Latin-derived term from medieval Latin traders who imported the spice from Asia via the Middle East.
Cinnamon was so valuable in medieval Europe that it was literally worth its weight in silver—a single pound could bankrupt a peasant, which is why Columbus was so obsessed with finding a western route to spice-producing lands.
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