Cooking with Cinnamon

Cinnamon has been one of the worlds most popular spices since ancient times and while there are many practical and medicinal uses for the spice, it is best known for its uses in the kitchen.

Cinnamon comes from the bark of a tree - most common cinnamon found in today’s supermarkets is made from the cassia tree, although this is not the true cinnamon of antiquity which originated from Sri Lanka (Ceylon in ancient times), it still works well for culinary uses.

Today, cinnamon is used in the kitchen for a variety of things. Many people like to make a cinnamon tea which is purported to have many medicinal qualities such as helping boost brain power, aiding in digestion, and helping to keep blood less sticky. In addition, cinnamon has fiber, calcium and manganese so drinking it can give your health, as well as your taste buds a boost.

We all know that cinnamon is a popular spice for baking. Who hasn’t had cinnamon buns or cinnamon cookies? What would an apple pie be like without the cinnamon? How about pumpkin pie? Certainly cinnamon is a must for baking, but it can also be used in other dishes as well. For example, adding cinnamon to sweet potatoes or squash can really give it a zing, perking up the taste buds. For cereals, especially oatmeal, there’s nothing like a sprinkle of cinnamon. Cinnamon can also be fabulous in many different sauces and stews. An old family favorite is to sprinkle it on buttered toast.

When choosing cinnamon for use in the kitchen, you can either go with cinnamon sticks or powdered cinnamon. Be forewarned, if you go with the sticks (or quills as they are called) the Cassia quills will be virtually impossible to grind up the flavor is usually extracted by boiling or some other means. If you want the true sweet cinnamon, then you want the Ceylon cinnamon - this will grind up more easily when purchased in quill form.

Storing cinnamon in the kitchen is easy - especially if you have the sticks since they will stay good for a very long time. Ground cinnamon, however, will lose it’s flavor over time. So store it in a tight container and put it in a cool, dry place. Make sure it is away from light, heat and humidity. Your best bet is to buy it in small amounts and use it quickly after purchase.

Return to Cinnamon Index

	Web www.indepthinfo.com