CINNAMON: Spicy, Sweet and Warm
~~~Cornelia Carlson

In this season of short days, sparse warmth, and brittle nerves, stop a moment and
ponder the pleasures of cinnamon. Even if your thoughts drift no farther than the
kitchen, cinnamon's warmth and sweet fragrance will buoy your spirits, revive
memories of feasts with friends and family, and perhaps even encourage visions of
others yet to come.

Few other spices marry so well with both sweet and savory dishes or bridge the
gap between sweet and sour or fiery and bland. Cinnamon is fundamental to
peppery spice blends throughout the world, including Chinese five-spice powder.
Indian garam masala, Ethiopian berbere, Moroccan ras al hanout, Middle Eastern
baharat, Georgian kneli suneli, and in the New World,Mexican moles and
southwestern chili powders. All there blends complement the taste of savory grain,
vegetable, meat and poultry dishes. And that's just a start, for cinnamon really
comes into its own when it flavors the sweeter spectrum of foods: holiday breads,
cakes, fruit tarts, cookies, ice cream, and chocolate.

Cinnamon's attractive seems to be universal. Everywhere, people cook with it,
perfume with it, flavor liquers and soft drinks with it, mask foul medicinal tastes with
it. Even some toothpastes and chewing gums contain cinnamon's warm bite.

THE CINNAMON GROUP

The spice we know as cinnamon is the inner bark of several species of the genus
*Cinnamomum* , a member of the laurel family (Lauraceae). The bark, and in
some species, the flower buds as well, contain a high concentration of
cinnamaldehyde, the compound that defines the taste of cinnamon. The presence
of the same compound in cinnamon basil and other unrelated plants gives them
their similar spicy taste.

Cinnamon trees are native to Southeast Asia, China, Burma, and India, and most
still grow there wild. Four species are cultivated as well and are important in the
spice trade.

~ *C.verum* (syn. *C.zeylanicum* ), called true cinnamon or Ceylon cinnamon,
contains less cinnamaldehyde, some eugenol (the primary constituent of clove
oil), and a wider array of minor constituents than other species of cinnamon. As a
result, its flavor, preferred by Mexican and European cooks, is more delicate,
complex, sweet, and soft. Many cooks consider it superior for sweet dishes.

~ *C.cassia* (C.aromaticum, called Chinese cinnamon), *C. burmanii* (Indonesian
or Batavian cinnamon), and *C. loureirii* (Saigon cinnamon) are often lumped
together under the name cassia or false cinnamon. (Don't confuse these cassias
with plants of the genus *Cassia* in the pea family, some of which are used as
purgatives.) The cassia cinamons, favored by Chinese cooks, taste hotter and
faintly bitter and are more assertive in long-cooked pungent fare. Virtually all the
cinnamon that Anericans eat is *C. burmanii*.

THROUGH HISTORY

The Book of Exodus names both cassia and cinnamon as ingredients of an
ointment, although scholars disagree as to which species were meant. *C. cassia*
is mentioned in a Chinese herbal dating from about 2700 B.C., and trade had been
established with the Middle East by the time Exodus was written. The Egyptians
clearly used some type of cinnamon from a very early date: temple inscriptions
indicate that Queen Hatshepsut sent an expedition to Punt (odern Somalia) in
search of cinnamon about 1500 B.C. Some linguists suggest that the biblical
cinnamon came from wild Indonesian plants, tracing our modern word back
through the Latin *cinnamomum* , Greek *kinnamon*, and Hebrew/Phoenician
*guinnamon* to the Malay *kayu manis* ("sweet wood").

Cinnamon was first used primarily in medicine, perfumes, ointments, and
embalming preparations. It may have been too precious, at least in the Middle
East and Europe, to toss in the stewpot. Even the Roman epicure Apicius, who
denied himself few pleasures of the table, mentions cinnamon only in a recipe for
cinnamon-leaf- flavored wine. By the Middle Ages, however, cinnamon, cassia, or
both were being called for in as many as two-thirds of Middle Eastern and
European recipes, to judge from cookery manuscripts that survive.

Cinnamon's value has made it a frequent political football. The search for cheaper
sources of cinnamon was a driving force that led to the discovery of the New
World. Having located them, the strongest European powers first established a
presence and then ruled ruthlesly to maintain a monopoly over the supply. The
cinnamons have even frigured in our own recent political struggles. During the
1950's and 60's we embargoes Chinese cassia while we warred verbally with the
country's Communist leaders. Following the Vietnam war, we enbargoes that
nation's cassia. Now, happily for world peace and our tables, relations with both
countried have improved and we can buy both products.

IN THE KITCHEN

In the United States, most grocery stores' cinnamon is Indonesian. Latin-American
markets stock flaky sticks of Ceylon cinnamon. Some Oriental markets carry
Chinese and Saigon cinnamons. Several mail-order suppliers sell all four types.

Does it matter which kind you use? The sweet, delicate Ceylon cinnamon is
superlative in fruit desserts and subtle creams, and the robust cassias hold their own
better in a savory stew, but I find then both delicious and interchangeable in most
dishes. Ground Indonesian cassias do not sidperse well in liquid, however. Because
cassias such as Saigon, which contain a lot of oil, are strongly flavored, start with
half the quantity called for in a recipe and add more to taste.

Store whole and ground cinnamon and cassia as well as cinnamon oil and extract
in a cool location in airtight containers. Choose glass containers as the oil, even in
ground cinnamon, bleeds through plastic. Ground cinnamon will remain pungent
for three months, the sticks for at least six. They'll remain fresh twice as long if you
store them in the freezer.

For the freshest cinnamon, grind it yourself in a clean electric coffee mill. The soft
and brittle Ceylon cinnamon sticks, crumbled first with your fingers, are easily
pulverized. Pound cassia bark with a rolling pin or clean hammer before
processing. Sift to remove any remaining chunks.

The coming weeks, with Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve bracketing Hanukkah
and Christmas, are cinnamon's high season. This is the time for cinnamon-spiked
hot drinks (steep a stick in heated cider, wine, or buttered rum), creamy rice
puddings, brandy-soused fruitcakes, buttery sweet breads, and innumerable
cookies. But don't shove your cinnamon to the back of the cabinet after the
holidays; it will taste just as welcome in your first fresh plum tart in June as it does
now in plum pudding.

A FOLK MEDICINE

In the annals of folk mediine, cinnamon and cassia are widely regarded for
diarrhea, gastrointestinal spasms, and gas. The ancient Chinese as well as
nineteenth-century American eclectic physicians also used them to treat
gynecological disorders. Cinnamon is believed to aid digestion by enhancing the
activity of trypsin, an enzyme that breaks down proteins in the small intestine, and
by speeding the breakdown of fats. Cinnamon and cassia's constituents
cinnamaldehyde and eugenol both inhibit the growth ot several strains of bacteria
and certain molds. Perhaps the ancient Egyptians realized that cassia slowed
decay when they added it to embalming mixtures.

Cinnamon and cassia may have further medicinal benefits. In one recent study,
connamon lowered blood pressure. In another, constituents of cinnamon inhibited
experimenatlly induced ulcers in rats. In a third, cinamon enhanced the action of
insulin in isolated fat cells. Further research is necessary to know how much bearing
these studies will have in the real world of patient care, but using more cinnamon
can at the least increase our pleasure in eating.

PRECAUTIONS

Over the past millennia, billions of people have used cinnamon and cassia and
their oils with no ill effects, yet under some conditions they can be hazardous.
People who work with cinnamon extensively or who use cinnamon-flavored
toothpaste may suffer contact dermatitis and/or asthma. Some people break out
in a rash when they eat cinnamon. The treatment in all cased is avoidance of
cinnamon-laced products.

The undiluted essential oils can cause severe dermatitis if applied directly to thge
skin or severe gastris irritation if ingested. Ingesting large amounts can be lethal.
Always dilute these oils and be sure that they are labeled for food use; those sold
as fragrance oils may contain petroleum products and lead residues. Pregnant
women should avoid cinnamon and cassia oils entirely and should not eat more
than ordinary amounts of the spices.