Artifact: Cinnamon
Materials: Cinnamon
Dimensions:
Date:
Origin:
Collection: Bertrand THIRY via WikiMedia Commons
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Ledger Entry: Cinnamon
Department: Grocery
Customer: Daniel Talbot
Ledger Page: 124
Imported From: Cinnamon originally came from South Asia.
Product Description
As a spice, cinnamon was a common British colonial American ingredient in sauces for meat, savory pies, and cakes and other desserts. It was also used for medicinal purposes.
Citation: Katharine E. Harbury, Colonial Virginia's Cooking Dynasty (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2004); Andrew F. Smith, ed., The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007)
Historical Price: 8 pence per ounce; Modern USD: $7.47
Product Variations
The databases record seven purchases of cinnamon. One of these was for half of an ounce, four of these were for one ounce, one was for one pound. Dr. Walter Stewart purchased two pounds of cinnamon, perhaps as an ingredient for medical remedies. The prices for these ranged from nine pence for half an ounce to seventeen shillings for two pounds.
