Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices known and has long been used in traditional medicine recipes, as a tea and even as an embalming agent in ancient Egypt. In the kitchen today thoughts immediately go to hot steaming puddings or pies.
This spice is delightfully pungent and comes from the interior bark of native evergreen trees from Asia, this bark curls up as it dries to form a stick or quill.
The type usually seen in the average supermarket is cassia cinnamon it's also known as Chinese cinnamon which has a sweet spicy flavour. This type comes from China and northern Vietnam. The other variety known as true or Ceylon cinnamon has a sweeter more citrus-like flavour, both are available as a stick or ground.
Health Benefits of Cinnamon
The history of cinnamon in medicine is a long one, both in Eastern and Western cultures, more recently scientific studies have confirmed the effects of cinnamon as a sedative, diuretic, antibiotic and circulatory stimulant among others. It has also shown to be effective against the E coli bacterium.
Use of Cinnamon
Cinnamon is an essential ingredient in Indian, Moroccan, and Indonesian, Middle Eastern, Greek and Chinese cuisines. It’s very versatile and works well not only with desserts bu with poultry, curries and fruit.
Buy cinnamon either ground or as sticks and store it in a cool, dry and dark place. In the ground form it can be kept for about six months or as sticks for around a year. Try to buy organically grown cinnamon, as the irradiation process can destroy its vitamin C and carotenoid content.
Add this spice to your diet by:
- Sprinkling with some raisins, walnuts and honey on a cored apple and bake in the oven at 350F for about 45 minutes then serve with natural yoghurt and cream.
- Combine it with honey and yoghurt for a pancake filling.
- Sprinkle on wholemeal toast with honey for delicious cinnamon toast.
- Mix equal parts thick cream and natural yoghurt and add to a glass of fruit, top with cinnamon and brown sugar.
Source The condensed Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, Joseph Pizzorno and Lara Pizzorno and Superfoods Healthstyle by Steven Pratt and Kathy Matthews.
Mix equal parts thick cream and natural yoghurt and add to a glass of fruit, top with cinnamon and brown sugar.
Source The condensed Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, Joseph Pizzorno and Lara Pizzorno
Try this delicious Custard Cream Flan Recipe with Cinnamon
Rachel L. Webb - Rachel L Webb lives in and writes mainly about Andalucia. She enjoys exploring the region and shares her explorations through her website ...
