Tabasco pepper sauce originated with Mr. E. McIllhenny, of New Iberia, La., in 1868, from a variety of capsicum in which the fruit grows erect, and was brot by a soldier friend of Mr. McIllhenny from Tabasco in Mexico after the close of the Mexican war.
Tabasco catsup originated with Mr. George Bayle of St. Louis, Mo. The base of it is said to be equal proportions of powdered capsicum and essence of tomatoes.
Ground cayenne pepper soon loses its bright color when kept too long or exposed to the light, and becomes dingy in appearance, so it is not always wise to judge by looks alone, as red ocher, turmeric, mustard, rice, sawdust, salt, brick dust, etc., have been found in cayenne pepper.
The large fruits or pods are commercially known as capsicums, and the smaller ones as chilies. The term pepper is a misnomer as applied to this spice.
CINNAMON AND CASSIA.
The Sweet Wood of Ceylon and the Aromatic Bark of the Present Day Often Confused With Cassia—Valuable Trade History.
Cinnamon
As in the case of sago and tapioca, a good deal of misconception prevails in regard to cinnamon and cassia, and as with sago and tapioca, one is often sold for the other by the uninformed. The word “cassia,” botanically speaking, has nothing whatever to do with the aromatic bark which we call by that name, but refers to a genus of plants of the bean family, from which are derived the dried senna leaves, an infusion of which our mothers induced us to take by the bribe of a piece of candy, altho we had “tummy ache” for a brief space afterwards. The word “cinnamon” is derived from two Malayan words “cassia” from the Greek word “kasian,” which occurs in Psalms XLV-8, and elsewhere in the Bible, where it is supposed to refer to the aromatic bark of the present day, was afterwards tacked on. That cassia (the bark) was known in biblical times is well authenticated. It is mentioned in a Chinese herbal published in 1700 B. C. under the name kwei.
The earliest mention of cinnamon is in a list of offerings by Seleneneus Callinieus, king of Syria, and his brother, Antiochus Hierax, to the temple of Apollo at Miletus, 243 B. C. Among the gifts mentioned are: “2 lbs. of cassia and a like quantity of cinnamon.” From this it appears there was then a recognized distinction between the two barks. We do know that the cassia was obtained from China, but the source of the cinnamon is unknown, unless it was obtained thru the Chinese from Ceylon, the inhabitants of those countries being in frequent intercourse in ancient times, for the earliest mention we have of cinnamon as a production of Ceylon is by Kazwini, an Arab writer of about 1275 A. D.
