Cinnamon

For thousands of years, people throughout the world have used cinnamon for culinary and medicinal purposes. Native to Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka), cinnamon is mentioned in ancient Chinese texts nearly 5,000 years old.

As early as 2000 BC, cinnamon was exported from China to Egypt, where the Egyptians used it as a flavoring, a medicine and even an embalming agent. During the Middle Ages, Arab traders brought cinnamon into Egypt, where it was sold to Italian traders, who kept a tight grip on the cinnamon trade in Europe.

In medieval Europe, most meals were cooked in one pot, including both meat and fruit, and cinnamon helped combine the sweet and savory flavors. When the bubonic plague swept through Europe, sponges soaked in cinnamon and cloves were placed in the rooms of the sick.

Considered rare and precious for centuries, cinnamon has as times been seen as a symbol of power and prestige. Cinnamon was the most sough-after spice during the Age of Discovery and was the reason that many expeditions were launched. Portuguese traders arrived in Ceylon at the start of the sixteenth century and monopolized the trade of Ceylon cinnamon for over 100 years.

By the end of the eighteenth century, cinnamon production had spread to other countries, making the spice more accessible. Today, cinnamon is grown commercially in Java, Sumatra, Brazil, the West Indies, Vietnam, Madagascar and Egypt. The best cinnamon still comes from its birthplace, Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), and is known as Ceylon cinnamon or “true cinnamon”.

High-quality cinnamon has a high yellowish-brown color and a fragrant smell. To produce the spice, the bark is stripped off the cinnamon tree and then dried. The thin inner bark is then separated from the woody outer bark and rolls into quills as it dries (the Italian word for cinnamon, canella, means “little tube”). Today, cinnamon is a key ingredient in treats such as apple pie and sweet rolls, and the scent of cinnamon is familiar in kitchen throughout the United States.

Most “cinnamon” in American grocery stores is in fact cassia (Cinnamomum cassia), a close cousin to cinnamon. Cassia is denser, coarser and less aromatic than cinnamon. Both come from the bark of small evergreen trees, but cassia is not separated from its hard outer bark before drying and does not form perfectly rolled quills like cinnamon. Cassia’s flavor is also less delicate than that of true cinnamon.

Cassia has a chemical composition similar to that of cinnamon, and it contains many of the same active ingredients. The United States Pharmacopeia recognizes cassia as cinnamon; therefore, most of the health claims made for cinnamon also apply to cassia.

Cinnamon Fast Facts

Uses and Benefits: Cinnamon may help regulate blood sugar, lower cholesterol, reduce blood pressure, fight bacteria and fungi, relieve intestinal distress, prevent colds and influenza, prevent blood clot and boost cognitive function.

Sources: Cinnamon is available in the spice section of any grocery store. Additionally, cinnamon supplements are available as capsules, powders and essential oils.

Special Considerations: Cinnamon is generally considered safe; however, because continued use may cause irritation, begin with small doses and increase as necessary. Pregnant women and nursing mothers should not take cinnamon in amounts greater than those typically found in food.

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