Welcome to the Celtnet Guide to Spices entry for Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum)

Spice Guide Entry For: Cinnamon



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Cinnamon


This is the description page for Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) and includes a description as well as an image, if available and a selection of recipes from this site that relates to the spice: Cinnamon.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon (also known as Celylon Cinnamon) is the dried inner bark of Cinnamomum verum a small evergreen tree reaching about 15m tall and a member of the Lauraceae (laurel) family (which also includes Bay, Avocado and Sassafrass) which is a native of Sri Lanka and Southern India. Cinnamon itself is prepared by growing the tree for two years and then coppicing it. The following year a dozen or so shoots will form from the roots. These shoots are then stripped of their bark which left to dry naturally. Only the thin (0.5 mm) inner bark is used; the outer woody portion is removed, leaving metre long cinnamon strips which curl into rolls ("quills") on drying; each dried quill being formed from the bark of a number of shoots packed together. These quills are then cut into 5–10cm long strips for sale.

Even today the best cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka though the tree is now grown in a number of locations around the globe. Cinnamon needs to be distinguished from the related spice, Cassia which is the whole bark of Cinnamomum aromaticum. This is sometimes sold as cinnamon (most often in the US) and may be distinguished from true cinnamon as 'Indonesian cinnamon'. Cassia actually has a stronger flavour than cinnamon and is harder and woodier, as well as being much thicker as it's formed the entire bark of the tree. True cinnamon — due to its relative thinness — will easily be reduced to a powder either in a pestle and mortar or in a coffee grinder. But cassia is much tougher and more fibrous and can actually damage a coffee grinder if you attempt to render it into a powder in one.

Cinnamon is generally used as a flavouring for sweeet foods such as cakes and desserts. But it also makes a wonderful aromatic addition to fish-based stews. Cinnamon has also been found to have antioxidant behaviour and the essential oil (which provides the flavour) has antimicrobial abilities, suggesting that cinnamon may extend he shelf-life of foods. Cinnamon is also one of the classical spices of the ancient world.


Recipes Utilizing Cinnamon

Garam Masala
Makovnjaca (Poppy Seed Roll)
Moussaka
Red Chicken Mole
Mawmenee
Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Moussaka
Ras el hanout
Strudel Dough
A Tarte of Beans
Sea Bass in a Ginger Snap Crust
Carrot Cake
Malawi Curry Powder
Belgian Slice
Empress Chilli
Sweet Couscous Dessert
Carrot, Orange and Radish Salad
Thai Chicken and Burdock Curry




Welcome to the Celtnet Spice Guide. As this site has grown and many more recipes have been added it's become evident that a guide to the various herbs available to the cook is necessary. With spices becoming more commonly available and more exotic spices becoming available from all over the world it has become evident that some kind of guide or introduction to spices is necessary. These pages are an attempt at bringing all the various culinary spices together into one place so that you can see what's available and perhaps find something new to use in your own cooking. To use this Spice Guide simply click on the first letter of the herb name above or below. Alternativey why not just browse through the guide. All the spices given here, whether common or rare, can be obtained via your local supermarket (or more often via your local Asian supermarket) or via a specialist spice distributor.

This is the description page for Cinnamon and includes a description of the plant and the parts used as spice, as well as an image, if available, or what the spice looks like and a selection of recipes from this site that reletes to the spice: Cinnamon.



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