Harvesting ‘true cinnamon’: The story of the Ceylon spice(aljazeera.com)
aljazeera.com
Harvesting ‘true cinnamon’: The story of the Ceylon spice
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/10/18/harvesting-true-cinnamon-the-story-of-the-ceylon-spice
37 comments
If you want to compare different cinnamons, you can order some from Penzeys [1]. I'm a fan of their Vietnamese:
https://www.penzeys.com/search/?q=cinnamon
https://www.penzeys.com/search/?q=cinnamon
It’s worth remembering the other downside of Cassia cinnamon. It causes liver damage in higher doses.
The amount it starts becoming unsafe at is something like 1 teaspoon a day, which is a lot, but not that much when I consider how much I might put in an apple crumble or cinnamon bun recipe.
For this reason I always make sure I’m buying Ceylon.
The amount it starts becoming unsafe at is something like 1 teaspoon a day, which is a lot, but not that much when I consider how much I might put in an apple crumble or cinnamon bun recipe.
For this reason I always make sure I’m buying Ceylon.
This article [0] has a pretty good overview of the possible side-effects one can have. The substance toxic to the liver (hepatotoxic) is believed to be coumarin. An article that specifically looks at coumarin in food can be found here. [1] It confirms what the parent comment says. Cassia is also the form commonly used in pastries according to the article.
[0] https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2018.03.013
[1] https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2007.12.068
[0] https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2018.03.013
[1] https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2007.12.068
It's been an issue in Denmark for a while that cinnamon buns have too much cinnamon
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/12/da...
Ceylon seems much, much weaker to me. Like I use three times the amount of Ceylon, compared to Cassia, and it still tastes not much like cinnamon.
Is it just because my taste buds have been de-sensitized to cinnamon? Or is the specific brand bad?
Because right now I wouldn't buy Ceylon again (and I bought it specifically because it has less cumarin).
Is it just because my taste buds have been de-sensitized to cinnamon? Or is the specific brand bad?
Because right now I wouldn't buy Ceylon again (and I bought it specifically because it has less cumarin).
They are very different spices. I don't care for cassia. I'll use it, no problem, but I much prefer Ceylon cinnamon. I grind sticks in a coffee grinder (you can't do this with cassia, it's too tough) and the freshly ground stuff is full of woody and citrus notes. Sometimes it smells like a threw in some orange peel, it's that noticeable.
Everything I could find about the difference between the two says that Ceylon cinnamon has a much "milder" and "subtle" flavor than Cassia, and that Cassia tastes much hotter/spicier, so this would seem to be in line with your experience. Ceylon cinnamon essential oil is only 50-65% cinnamaldehyde, while Cassia is about 95% according to an article I read, which explains much of the difference.
It is the quality of the spice you are getting. I have a nice fresh ceylon cinnamon and it is floral, aromatic, sewwt and punchy cinnamon smell. Very nice and puffs up the house with aroma when cooked.
You would think That’s a lot to consume until you find that something like this exists: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon_challenge
Well damn. Cinnamon tea is something I've made often -- and I presume it's the equivalent to a lot?
Chai tea would also have a lot on cinnamon in it. I think it's the main spice.
I don't know about others, bit at home for my daily tea(or is it bi daily now), I use an eighth of a teaspoon of cinnamon, some cardamom, and ginger.
I boil the ginger in water, add tea leaves, add milk bring to a near boil and then finally add in the other spices
cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, cloves, ginger.
grind then dry fry on pan then add water and milk (and tea leaves if you want).
it's a really great high.
there are of course many local and regional variations.
there are of course many local and regional variations.
It's one of the spices.
There is no ISO-like standard for making chai and there is variation, but cinnamon is most often not added at all.
(Disclaimer: I spent 12 years operating a tea stall in Shimla)
(Disclaimer: I spent 12 years operating a tea stall in Shimla)
Most homemade Chai tea recipes I'm familiar with tend to drop a cinnamon stick into the pot to infuse, rather than dissolving ground cinnamon into it. I'm not sure how much realistically leeches out when you drop a stick in, but I'd assume less than a "dissolved" teaspoon (which rarely actually "dissolves", in my experience--usually it just floats on top of the liquid).
How realistic is it really though? One teaspoon is a lot and even if I use it, I will not eat everything myself in one day. I guess the only real issue is with kids. I also don't eat cinnamon every day. Our small package of cinnamon lasts for months, and it's around 10 tea spoons.
The only way I have cinnamon is in the bark form that gets added whole to flavor dishes. The bark itself doesn’t get eaten. I wonder what the problematic amount that way is.
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I've bought ceylon cinnamon numerous times from this spice trader, would recommend: https://www.thespicehouse.com/products/ceylon-cinnamon-quill...
The phrase "spice trader" has such a lovely old world charm to it! Or maybe it's because I am from the GB.
Is cinnamon the only tree/wood that we eat?
You also have liquorice root. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquorice
The most famous is willow tree bark that's how aspirin came to be.
Mesquite, bamboo?
quinine, chicle, eucalyptus...
Bay leaves are from trees.
What about palm heart?
Palm oil, maple syrup, stone fruit, curry leaves, bay leaves, and also the leaves of several obscure south East Asian trees like Gnetum gnemon. .
One can also make syrup from various birch, alder, and juglans species — and more!