Interesting and Useful
Cinnamon Facts

Everyone loves the warm, distinctive flavor that cinnamon adds to food dishes. But did you know that this ancient spice, taken from the bark of tropical trees, is an antioxidant powerhouse?

You'll get as many antioxidants in one teaspoon of cinnamon as a full cup of pomegranate juice or a half-cup of blueberries.

Cinnamon Facts: Cinnamon Health Benefits

Cinnamon has many health benefits. It has shown promise in the treatment of diabetes, arthritis, high cholesterol, memory function, and even leukemia and lymphoma.

Primary nutrients in 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon: 12 calories, 760 mcg. of manganese, 2.5 grams of fiber, 1.72 mg. of iron, 56 mg. of calcium.

Cinnamon Facts: Types of Cinnamon

Although there are four main varieties of cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), and Cassia cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) are the most popular. Cinnamon health benefits don't seem to be significantly different from one type to another.

Ceylon cinnamon is sometimes called "true cinnamon". It is more expensive and has a sweet taste, milder than Cassia. The quills are softer and can be easily ground in a coffee grinder. Ceylon cinnamon is usually only sold in specialty stores. Ceylon cinnamon uses only the thin inner bark, and thus has a finer, less dense, and more crumbly texture.

Cassia cinnamon, the less expensive variety, is the most common cinnamon sold in supermarkets in North America. This variety grows on small trees in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, and Egypt. It has a darker color and the quills are harder.

These varieties are sometimes sold labeled as cinnamon, and sometimes distinguished from true cinnamon as "Chinese cinnamon," "Vietnamese cinnamon," or "Indonesian cinnamon." Cassia has a much stronger flavor than Ceylon cinnamon, is generally reddish-brown in color, hard and woody in texture, and thicker, as all of the layers of bark are used.

Cinnamon Facts: History of Cinnamon

The word cinnamon comes from the Greek kinnamomon.

Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices known. It was mentioned in the Old Testament (Exodus 30: 22-33), and in Chinese writings as far back as 2800 BC.

In Ancient Egypt, cinnamon was used as a flavoring in food and beverages, and also in the embalming process.

Due to its demand, cinnamon became one of the first commodities traded regularly between the Near East and Europe.

Today, Ceylon cinnamon is produced in Sri Lanka, India, Madagascar, Brazil and the Caribbean, while Cassia is mainly produced in China, Vietnam and Indonesia. Learn more about the history of cinnamon.

Miscellaneous Cinnamon Facts

Cinnamon is a tree belonging to the Lauraceae family. The bark of the tree is what is used as a spice.

True cinnamon, or Ceylon cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon).

To make cinnamon, the bark of the cinnamon tree is dried and rolled into sticks, also called quills. Cinnamon can also be dried and ground into a powder.

The primary chemical constituents of this herb include cinnamaldehyde, gum, tannin, mannitol, coumarins and essential oils (aldehydes, eugenol, pinene).

Cinnamonaldehyde, a compound in the essential oil of the bark, gives cinnamon its characteristic flavor and aroma.

Cinnamon Facts: Buying and Using Cinnamon

Just like with other dried spices, try to select organically grown cinnamon, since this will give you more assurance that it has not been irradiated (among other potential adverse effects, irradiating cinnamon may cause a significant decrease in vitamin C and carotenoid content).

Cinnamon should be kept in a tightly sealed glass container, in a cool, dark and dry place.

Ground cinnamon will keep for about six months, while cinnamon sticks will stay fresh for about one year stored this way. You can also extend their shelf life by keeping them in your refrigerator.

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