Cinnamon
by Byron Bitar and Ann Wilder

Cutting Ceylon Cinnamon Bark in Indonesia

Cinnamon may be one of the true aphrodisiacs. In a recent study where men were asked to sniff a number of fragrances and score them as to their "turn-on" quality, cinnamon won hands down.  Certainly cinnamon is one of the favorite flavors worldwide.

Cinnamon was once more valuable than gold!   In ancient Egypt it was used in embalming. Moses was commanded in Exodus 30:23 to use "sweet-smelling" cinnamon, along with myrrh and olive oil, as an ingredient in holy anointing oil.  Medieval Europe used cinnamon in religious rites and also as a flavoring.  During the age of European exploration and maritime trade, it was the most profitable spice for the Dutch East India Company.  In modern times, cinnamon is used to flavor foods from chocolate to curry.  In the Europe and the United States it is particularly popular in bakery goods.

Although in Europe and the U.S. cinnamon is most often associated with sweet dishes, it has broad culinary uses.  For example, in India, cinnamon is never used with desserts, but is the main ingredient in curries.   In North Africa, not only is cinnamon an ingredient in Raz-el-Hanout, the flavoring of couscous and tagines, but appears also in Berber spices. In Greece, it appears in lamb dishes.  And it is an essential spice in Chinese cuisine. Ground, it is one of the constituents of five-spice powder; whole, it is frequently added to flavor braised dishes.   In the Caribbean, it is in Jerk seasoning.  In Mexico, it appears with chocolate and chili powder in Mole sauces. In the U.S., it is used in barbecue rubs and sauces.

Cinnamon is particularly effective in a combination of sweet/hot flavors.  It sweetens a dish when even little or no other sweetener is used. It creates a balance for chili flavor, since you taste chilies in the back of the mouth and sweet is tasted on the tip of the tongue.  Furthermore, because cinnamon is both fragrant and sweet, it is not overwhelmed by the taste of chilies.

The price of ground cinnamon is determined by oil content.  The oil ranges from a low of 1% to a high of 6%.  The bulk of all spices is cellulose, which contributes nothing to flavor or aroma.  Characteristic flavor and aroma of a spice comes from the essential oil. Obviously, the higher the oil content, the more flavor and aroma.  The cinnamon highest in volatile oils is Saigon.

Cinnamon is the bark of three bushy evergreen trees of the laurel (Lauraceae) family.  The most fragrant and delicate cinnamon is obtained from the Cinnamomum zeylanicum tree native to Sri Lanka (which used to be called "Ceylon"), the western coast of India (known as the Malabar coast), and Myanmar (formerly Burma).  Sri Lanka is an island located off the southeast coast of India. Myanmar is located between Eastern India and Thailand.  The zeylanicum bush is now also cultivated in Seychelles and Madagascar, islands off the east coast of Africa, and also South America and the West Indies. Zeylanicum cinnamon is sometimes called "true cinnamon" and "old fashioned cinnamon." That is because it was the cinnamon the Dutch East India Company traded several centuries ago.

Cinnamon is also derived from the Cinnamonum loureirii tree native to Indonesia and the Cinnamonum cassia tree native to China, Vietnam, and Sumatra.  Sumatra is a large island in Indonesia at the northwestern end of the chain of islands making up the nation. The cinnamon from the loureirii and cassia trees is darker and more pungent and aromatic than cinnamon from the zeylanicum tree.

The English and Mexicans prefer the milder, delicate zeylancium cinnamon.  However, cassia cinnamon is what most Americans are used to and is the preferred cinnamon in Southern Europe.  So do not let the term "true cinnamon" confuse you; cassia cinnamon is just as true as zeylancium.

Three Cinnamons
-Zeylanicum cinnamon also known as Ceylon cinnamon
-Loureirii cinnamon also known as Indonesian cinnamon
-Cassia cinnamon also known as Chinese, Saigon, and Korintje cinnamon

The flavor of cinnamon is in the oil.  The primary chemical in the oil is cinnamic aldehyde, which is the same in zeylanicum, loureirii, and cassia cinnamons.  Because the key chemical is the same, in the United States cinnamons from all three trees are typically processed and used interchangeably.   However, 90% of all the cinnamon brought into the U.S. is cassia, so that is what you are probably accustomed to.  However, the three main cassia cinnamons - China, Saigon, and Korintje - do vary in flavor. 

Cassia vs. Zeylanicum (Ceylon)
Cassia cinnamon has a more intense and less fragrant aroma than zeylanicum (Ceylon) cinnamon.  It is sweet, warm, pungent, and slightly astringent.  Zeylanicum (Ceylon) cinnamon is pale in color, and more delicate, more fragrant, not as pungent, and not as sweet. It has a slight citrus flavor.  Zeylanicum (Ceylon) cinnamon is more expensive than cassia, and better to use in sweet dishes and cakes.  Cassia nips the tongue and is more suited to spiced meats, stews, rice dishes, curries, pancake and waffle batters, cinnamon rolls, and flavored drinks.  Cassia cinnamon sticks are reddish brown, thick, and coarse in texture.  They are the sticks Americans are accustomed to and use in mulled cider and wine.  Zeylanicum cinnamon sticks are pale in color, thin, and look like a roll of dried paper; they are delicate and crumble easily.

There are three kinds of Cassia Cinnamon, due to their sources, now commonly available in the United States.  They are Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korintje.  Each has its own distinctive taste.

Vietnamese or Saigon Cassia Cinnamon
The sweetest, most aromatic, and flavorful cassia cinnamon comes from northern Vietnam, and is known as Saigon cinnamon.  It has a dark reddish brown color and a very high volatile or essential oil content: 5% - 6%.

Chinese Cassia Cinnamon
The next strongest and spiciest cinnamon is cassia cinnamon from China.  It too has a dark reddish brown color and a pungent flavor for baking.  It is prized on cinnamon rolls and in cinnamon sugar.

Korintje Cassia Cinnamon
Korintje cinnamon is from the southwestern Sumatra, an island in Indonesia.  The government protects the slopes of Mount Kerinci where the cinnamon trees grow wild. The bark is harvested from the bushes on the mountain and processed in the coastal town of Padang. Korintje is superior to common Indonesian cinnamon.  And Korintje A is superior to grades B and C.  Korintje cinnamon is milder than Chinese cinnamon: it is light reddish brown, delicate, smooth, and fragrant.  Grade A Korintje cinnamon makes excellent cinnamon sticks.

In the wild, evergreen cinnamon trees grow as tall as 50 feet.  In cultivation, trees are kept cropped to eight feet tall bushes.   It takes 20 or more years before the bark can be harvested.  The limbs are cut for bark usually during the monsoon season.  The part of the tree just inside of the bark is growing fast due to the water content, and the bark is easily removed.  (In technical terns, the cambium which is between the outer phloem, which turns into bark, and the inner xylem, which turns into wood, is growing fast).  Also the oil content of the bark is high.  Small, straight two-year-old limbs are cut from top of the tree for cinnamon sticks; chunks are removed from the older lower bark of the tree to be ground into cinnamon.  The older bark is more flavorful. The outer tissue of the bark is removed to reveal the cinnamon bark.  When zeylanicum bark is harvested, it naturally forms rolls. Roll after thin roll is placed inside of each other.  The middle of them is then filled up with bark pieces.

It is usual to buy cinnamon finely ground, as it is difficult to grind at home.  It should be bought frequently and kept in closely stoppered bottles.  As in all ground spices, it begins to loose flavor as soon as it is ground.  Buy the best cinnamon from the best spice house and insist on it freshly ground.  To flavor drinks, coffee or wine, syrups or creams, it is better to use fine quality sticks, which can be removed when their work is completed.

Recipes: Cinnamon Chicken, Apple Crepes in Cider Rum Sauce, Apple Crisp,
                  Official New York State Apple Muffin Recipe, Baked Apples