Cinnamon

is a obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus . Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic and flavouring additive in a wide variety of, sweet and savoury dishes, , , s, and. The aroma and flavour of cinnamon derive from its and principal component,, as well as numerous other constituents including.

Cinnamon is the name for several species of trees and the commercial spice products that some of them produce. All are members of the genus Cinnamomum in the family. Only a few Cinnamomum species are grown commercially for spice. ' is sometimes considered to be "true cinnamon", but most cinnamon in international commerce is derived from the related species ', also referred to as "cassia". In 2018, and  produced 70% of the world's supply of cinnamon, Indonesia producing nearly 40% and China 30%.

Etymology
The English word "cinnamon", attested in English since the 15th century, deriving from the κιννάμωμον (, later κίνναμον : ), via Latin and  intermediate forms. The Greek was borrowed from a word, which was similar to the related  word קנמון.

The name "cassia", first recorded in from Latin, ultimately derives from the Hebrew word קציעה, a form of the verb קצע , "to strip off bark".

also used the names canel and canella, similar to the current names of cinnamon in several other European languages, which are derived from the Latin word cannella, a diminutive of canna, "tube", from the way the bark curls up as it dries.

History
Cinnamon has been known from remote. It was imported to Egypt as early as 2000 BC, but those who reported that it had come from China had confused it with Cinnamomum cassia, a related species. Cinnamon was so highly prized among ancient nations that it was regarded as a gift fit for monarchs and even for a deity; a fine inscription records the gift of cinnamon and cassia to the temple of at. Its source was kept a trade secret in the Mediterranean world for centuries by those in the, in order to protect their monopoly as suppliers.

Cinnamomum verum, which translates from Latin as "true cinnamon", is native to, , and.  (cassia) is native to China. Related species, all harvested and sold in the modern era as cinnamon, are native to (""), Indonesia and other southeast Asian countries with warm climates.

In Ancient Egypt, cinnamon was used to embalm. From the onward, Ancient Egyptian recipes for, an aromatic used for burning, included cinnamon and cassia. The gifts of Hellenistic rulers to temples sometimes included cassia and cinnamon.

The first Greek reference to κασία :  is found in a poem by  in the 7th century BC. According to, both cinnamon and cassia grew in Arabia, together with incense,  and , and were guarded by. Herodotus, Aristotle and other authors named Arabia as the source of cinnamon; they recounted that giant "s" collected the cinnamon sticks from an unknown land where the cinnamon trees grew and used them to construct their nests.

wrote that cinnamon was brought around the on "rafts without rudders or sails or oars", taking advantage of the winter. He also mentioned cassia as a flavouring agent for wine, and that the tales of cinnamon being collected from the nests of cinnamon birds was a traders' fiction made up to charge more. However, the story remained current in as late as 1310.

According to Pliny the Elder, a (327 g) of cassia, cinnamon (serichatum), cost up to 1,500, the wage of fifty months' labour. 's from 301 AD gives a price of 125 denarii for a pound of cassia, while an agricultural labourer earned 25 denarii per day. Cinnamon was too expensive to be commonly used on funeral pyres in Rome, but the Emperor is said to have burned a year's worth of the city's supply at the funeral for his wife  in AD 65.

Middle Ages
Through the, the source of cinnamon remained a mystery to the Western world. From reading Latin writers who quoted Herodotus, Europeans had learned that cinnamon came up the to the trading ports of Egypt, but where it came from was less than clear. When the accompanied his king,  to Egypt on the  in 1248, he reported—and believed—what he had been told: that cinnamon was fished up in nets at the  out at the edge of the world (i.e., ). avoided precision on the topic.

The first mention that the spice grew in Sri Lanka was in 's ("Monument of Places and History of God's Bondsmen") about 1270. This was followed shortly thereafter by in a letter of about 1292.

Indonesian rafts transported cinnamon directly from the to East Africa (see also ), where local traders then carried it north to Alexandria in Egypt. traders from Italy held a on the spice trade in Europe, distributing cinnamon from Alexandria. The disruption of this trade by the rise of other Mediterranean powers, such as the and the, was one of many factors that led Europeans to search more widely for other routes to Asia.

Cultivation


Cinnamon is an tree characterized by oval-shaped leaves, thick bark and a berry fruit. When harvesting the spice, the bark and leaves are the primary parts of the plant used. Cinnamon is cultivated by growing the tree for two years, then it, i.e., cutting the stems at ground level. The following year, about a dozen new shoots form from the roots, replacing those that were cut. A number of pests such as ', ' species and  (stripe canker) can affect the growing plants.

The stems must be processed immediately after harvesting while the inner bark is still wet. The cut stems are processed by scraping off the outer bark, then beating the branch evenly with a hammer to loosen the inner bark, which is then pried off in long rolls. Only 0.5 mm of the inner bark is used; the outer, woody portion is discarded, leaving metre-long cinnamon strips that curl into rolls ("quills") on drying. The processed bark dries completely in four to six hours, provided it is in a well-ventilated and relatively warm environment. Once dry, the bark is cut into 5 to 10 cm lengths for sale.

A less than ideal drying environment encourages the proliferation of pests in the bark, which may then require treatment by with. In 2011, the European Union approved the use of sulphur dioxide at a concentration of up to 150 mg/kg for the treatment of C. verum bark harvested in Sri Lanka.

Species
A number of species are often sold as cinnamon:
 *  (cassia or Chinese cinnamon, the most common commercial type in the USA)
 *  (Korintje, Padang cassia, or Indonesian cinnamon)
 * C. loureiroi (, Vietnamese cassia, or Vietnamese cinnamon)
 *  (Sri Lanka cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon or Cinnamomum zeylanicum)
 *  (Malabar cinnamon)

Cassia induces a strong, spicy flavour and is often used in baking, especially associated with, as it handles baking conditions well. Among cassia, Chinese cinnamon is generally medium to light reddish-brown in colour, hard and woody in texture, and thicker (2 - 3 mm thick), as all of the layers of bark are used. Ceylon cinnamon, using only the thin inner bark, has a lighter brown colour and a finer, less dense, and more crumbly texture. It is subtle and more aromatic in flavour than cassia and it loses much of its flavour during cooking.

The barks of the species are easily distinguished when whole, both in macroscopic and microscopic characteristics. Ceylon cinnamon sticks (quills) have many thin layers and can easily be made into powder using a coffee or spice grinder, whereas cassia sticks are much harder. Indonesian cinnamon is often sold in neat quills made up of one thick layer, capable of damaging a spice or coffee grinder. Saigon cinnamon (C. loureiroi) and Chinese cinnamon (C. cassia) are always sold as broken pieces of thick bark, as the bark is not supple enough to be rolled into quills.

The powdered bark is harder to distinguish, but if it is treated with (a ), little effect is visible with pure Ceylon cinnamon, but when Chinese cinnamon is present, a deep-blue tint is produced.

Grading
The Sri Lankan grading system divides the cinnamon quills into four groups:
 * Alba, less than 6 mm in diameter
 * Continental, less than 16 mm in diameter
 * Mexican, less than 19 mm in diameter
 * Hamburg, less than 32 mm in diameter

These groups are further divided into specific grades. For example, Mexican is divided into M00000 special, M000000 and M0000, depending on quill diameter and number of quills per kilogram. Any pieces of bark less than 106 mm long are categorized as quillings. Featherings are the inner bark of twigs and twisted shoots. Chips are trimmings of quills, outer and inner bark that cannot be separated, or the bark of small twigs.

Food uses


Cinnamon bark is used as a spice. It is principally employed in cookery as a condiment and flavouring material. It is used in the preparation of, especially in Mexico. Cinnamon is often used in savoury dishes of chicken and lamb. In the United States and Europe, cinnamon and sugar are often used to flavour, bread-based dishes such as toast, and fruits, especially s; a cinnamon and sugar mixture is sold separately for such purposes. It is also used in and  for both sweet and savoury dishes. Cinnamon can also be used in, and in Christmas drinks such as. Cinnamon powder has long been an important spice in enhancing the flavour of, used in a variety of thick soups, drinks and sweets.

Texture


Ceylon cinnamon may be crushed into small pieces by hand while Indonesian cinnamon requires a powerful.

Flavour, aroma and taste
The flavour of cinnamon is due to an aromatic essential oil that makes up 0.5 to 1% of its composition. This essential oil can be prepared by roughly pounding the bark, it in sea water, and then quickly  the whole. It is of a golden-yellow colour, with the characteristic odour of cinnamon and a very hot aromatic taste. The pungent taste and scent come from (about 90% of the essential oil from the bark) and, by reaction with  as it ages, it darkens in colour and forms resinous compounds.

Cinnamon constituents include some 80, including eugenol, found in the oil from leaves or bark of cinnamon trees.

Alcohol flavourant
Cinnamon is used as a flavouring in, such as cinnamon-flavoured in the United States, and , a cinnamon brandy popular in parts of Greece.

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