Global Culinary Spice: The Versatility and Appeal of Cinnamon

Cinnamon, a beloved spice around the globe, is derived from the inner bark of the Cinnamomum verum tree, an evergreen native to Sri Lanka and a member of the Laurel family. This tree, though capable of reaching heights of 50 feet in the wild, is typically cultivated as a small, leafy bush, usually no taller than 10 feet, to facilitate the harvesting process.

The process of obtaining cinnamon is meticulous. At harvest, the bark is carefully stripped from the tree and left to dry under the sun. During this drying process, the bark naturally curls into the familiar form known as "quills." These quills are then either sold as-is or ground into a powder, which is the form most commonly used in cooking and baking.

Cinnamon’s applications in the culinary world are diverse and widespread. Ground cinnamon is a staple in baked goods, pairing beautifully with fruits like apples and pears in desserts such as pies, crumbles, and cobblers. In the West, it is often used in cinnamon rolls, cookies, and even as a topping for coffee or hot chocolate. Meanwhile, cinnamon plays a crucial role in various global cuisines. In Mexico, it adds depth to chocolate and yams, while in the Middle East, it enhances savory chicken and lamb dishes. On the Indian subcontinent, it flavors curries and is a key ingredient in spice blends like garam masala.

In contrast, Cassia, a close relative of true cinnamon, is more prevalent in the spice blends of East and Southeast Asia. This variety, while similar, is generally considered less delicate in flavor compared to Cinnamomum verum. Both types, however, share a characteristic reddish-brown hue and a sweet, pungent aroma that is both woody and earthy.

The flavor of cinnamon is warming and comforting, with a complexity that is musty and earthy. The spice’s aromatic qualities are heightened when finely ground, allowing it to quickly awaken the taste buds. This versatility, along with its rich history and global presence, solidifies cinnamon as a vital component in kitchens around the world, beloved for both its flavor and its warming qualities.
Global Culinary Spice: The Versatility and Appeal of Cinnamon

Cinnamon as a cooking ingredient

The genus, a native of South-Western tropical India and Sri Lanka, consist of more than 250 species distributed in South East Asia, China and Australia.

Cinnamon is important tree spice of the family Lauraceac. The generic name is derived from the Arabic or Persian mama, via the Greek amomum meaning spice, and the prefix chini to its believed origin.

In ancient times, because of its flavor and its scarcity, cinnamon was worth as much as fifteen times the value of silver.

It is widely used aromatic spice obtained from the dried inner bark of trees belonging to several species of Cinnamomum.

It is used in pulav, biryani, korma and most of the non-vegetarian dishes. Doughnuts may be passed though sugar and ground cinnamon and slices of apples for fritters may be sprinkled with cinnamon before frying. Cinnamon is used for making garam masala powder.

In western cooking, cinnamon was very popular in the 16th to 18th centuries but is now used primarily to flavor desserts such as stewed fruits or spice cakes and rarely used in spicy dishes.

It’s bark oil and leaf oil are used in numerous processed foods and drinks. It is used for domestic culinary flavoring and for industrially manufactured sauces, candy, pickles and some beverages.
Cinnamon as a cooking ingredient

Ceylon and Cassia Cinnamon

Ceylon and Cassia Cinnamon
Ceylon cinnamon, the true cinnamon of commerce, is the dried inner bark of Cinnamomum zeylanicum, an evergreen tree belonging to the laurel family and native to Ceylon.

The spice is not imported in large amounts into United States but is in demand in other parts of the world.

The dried bark assume the form of a cylinder, which is cut into short lengths and marketed as Ceylon cinnamon sticks.

Ground cinnamon is used as a baking spice for cakes, breads, buns cookies and pies. Ceylon cinnamon has fragrant odor and a warm, sweet, aromatic taste.

Ground Ceylon cinnamon contains starch grains about the size of allspice. Bark fibers are more numerous than in cassia cinnamon but no cork is present. Stone cells are somewhat similar to those in allspice.

The bark of Ceylon cinnamon contains 0.5 – 1.0% of steam volatile essential oil. The principal flavor constituent is cinnamic aldehydes (55 – 75%) and small amount =s (4 – 8%) of eugenol.

Cassia cinnamon is prepared from dried bark of cinnamon cassia, an evergreen tree native to South Vietnam and the eastern Himalayas.

Cassia bark has more intense aroma, higher essential oil content, and is less delicately flavored than Ceylon cinnamon.

These two species are obtained from two different species of plants grown in different areas.

However their nomenclature has been used so interchangeably that they have come to mean the same product.

More cassia cinnamon than Ceylon cinnamon is used in the United Sates. The primary sources for cassia cinnamon are Saigon cassia, C. loureirii (nees); Korinji “thick quill,” C. burmannii (Blume); grown in Sumatra; Padang “thin quill”; and C. sintok (Blume), produced in Malaysia.

Cassia is used by bakers, confectioners, fruit canners and other food processor in the same manner as Ceylon cinnamon.

The volatile oil of cassia contains form 75 to 90% of cinnamic aldehydes together with smaller amounts of related aldehydes.

Adulterated reported in the ground spice include exhausted cassia, ground bark, cassia buds, nutshells and other cheaper material.
Ceylon and Cassia Cinnamon

Cinnamon

Food Ingredient
Cinnamon is the dried inner bark of various evergreen trees belonging to the genus Cinnamomum. At harvest, the bark is stripped off and put in the sun, where it curls into the familiar form called "quills."

Cinnamon in the ground form is used in baked dishes, with fruits, and in confections. Cassia is predominant in the spice blends of the East and Southeast Asia. Cinnamon is used in moles, garam masala, and berbere

The color of cinnamon is about reddish and brown. It produces sweet and pungent flavor. Cinnamon is characteristically woody, musty and earthy in flavor and aroma.

It is warming to taste. The finer the grind, the more quickly the Cinnamon is perceived by the taste buds.
Food Ingredient