Cinnamon is the inner bark of a type of laurel tree and
cassia is the outer bark. They are similar
in aroma and flavour - cinnamon is sweeter and milder – you have to be a bit
more careful about how much cassia you use in a dish – it is not quite as forgiving
as cinnamon.
Both cinnamon and cassia
are mentioned in Exodus - 30:22:
Moreover, the Lord spoke to Moses,
saying, “Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of
flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as
much, two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane two hundred and fifty, and
of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive
oil a hin. You shall make of these a
holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a
holy anointing oil.
In olden times cinnamon
was said to have been treasured by King Solomon. Cinnamon has been used medicinally for lots
of things including – treating nausea, fever, digestive problems, preventing
tooth decay and has been even said to help diabetics control insulin.
Cassia is mainly used in
savoury dishes while cinnamon is used in sweet dishes or delicate savoury ones.
Cinnamon is used to
flavour creams, custards, cakes and biscuits and goes well with apples and
pears. Of course cinnamon can be sprinkled on chocolate.
Cassia is an ingredient
of Chinese 5 spice powder.
Pennsylvania Dutch
sprinkle cinnamon sugar onto ripe tomatoes.
I need to try that!
Greeks use cinnamon in
beef stews.
Cinnamon goes well with
many vegetables including carrots, sweet potatoes and eggplant
Used in baking it is
hard to overdo the cinnamon – try using more than the recipe says
As with many spices try
to buy it in small quantities
Try using it in an
orange and carrot salad. Use a bit of
cinnamon in a milkshake
My recipes with cinnamon – Roast
Pork Belly with Orange & Cloves, Butter
Chicken, Mustard
Chive Sauce, Slow
Cooker Beef Curry, Pork
Fillet in Jerk Seasoning, Mini
Ham
BIBLIOGRAPHY - with thanks to Auckland Libraries
Cook's Encyclopaedia
of Spices by Sallie Morris & Lesley Mackley
Discovering
Vegetables, Herbs & Spices by Susanna Lyle
Spice Market by Jane
Lawson
Spicery by Ian &
Elizabeth Hemphill
Spices & Natural
Flavourings by Jennifer Mulherin
Spices by Sophie
Grigson
Spices Condiments and
Seasonings by Kenneth T Farrell
Spices, Salt and
Aromatics in the English Kitchen by Elizabeth David
The Cook's Companion
by Stephanie Alexander
