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{{Taxobox | color = lightgreen | name = Cinnamon | image = Cinnamomum verum1.jpg | image_width = 240px | image_caption = Cinnamon foliage and flowers | regnum = [[Plant]]ae | divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]] | classis = [[Magnoliopsida]] | ordo = [[Laurales]] | familia = [[Lauraceae]] | genus = ''[[Cinnamomum]]'' | species = '''''C. verum''''' | binomial = ''Cinnamomum verum'' | binomial_authority = [[Jan Svatopluk Presl|J.Presl]] }} {{dablink|[[Cassia]] ("Chinese cinnamon") is also commonly called (and sometimes sold as) cinnamon.}} {{otheruses}} '''Cinnamon''' (''Cinnamomum verum'', synonym ''C. zeylanicum'') is a small [[evergreen]] [[tree]] 10-15 meters (32.8-49.2 feet) tall, belonging to the family [[Lauraceae]], native to [[Sri Lanka]] and Southern [[India]]. The bark is widely used as a [[spice]]. '' The [[leaf|leaves]] are [[ovate]]-oblong in shape, 7-18 cm (2.75-7.1 inches) long. The [[flower]]s, which are arranged in [[panicle]]s, have a greenish color, and have a distinct odor. The [[fruit]] is a purple one-centimetre [[berry]] containing a single [[seed]]. Its flavour is due to an aromatic [[essential oil]] which makes up 0.5 to 1% of its composition. This oil is prepared by roughly pounding the bark, [[macerating]] it in sea-water, and then quickly [[distillation|distilling]] 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 cinnamic [[aldehyde]] or [[cinnamaldehyde]] and, by the absorption of [[oxygen]] as it ages, it darkens in colour and develops resinous compounds. Chemical components of the essential oil include [[ethyl cinnamate]], [[eugenol]], [[cinnamaldehyde]], beta-[[caryophyllene]], [[linalool]] and [[methyl chavicol]]. The name cinnamon comes from Greek ''kinnámōmon'', from Phoenician and akin to Hebrew ''qinnâmôn'', itself ultimately from a Malaysian language, cf. Malay and Indonesian ''kayu manis'' which means sweet wood. ==History== [[Image:2005cinnamon_%28canella%29.PNG|thumb|right|Cinnamon ([[canella]]) output in 2005]] Cinnamon has been known from remote antiquity, and it was so highly prized among ancient nations that it was regarded as a gift fit for monarchs and other great potentates. It was imported to [[Egypt]] from [[China]] as early as 2000 BC, and is mentioned in the [[Bible]] in [[Exodus]] 30:23, where [[Moses]] is commanded to use both sweet cinnamon ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] קִנָּמוֹן, qinnāmôn) and [[cassia]], and in [[Book of Proverbs|Proverbs]] 7:17-18, where the lover's bed is perfumed with [[myrrh]], [[aloe]] and cinnamon. It is also alluded to by [[Herodotus]] and other classical writers. It was commonly used on funeral pyres in [[Rome]], and the Emperor [[Nero]] is said to have burned a year's supply of cinnamon at the funeral for his wife [[Poppaea Sabina]], in 65 AD. In the [[Middle Ages]], the source of cinnamon was a mystery to the Western world. Arab traders brought the spice via overland trade routes to [[Alexandria]] in Egypt, where it was bought by [[Venice|Venetian]] traders from Italy who held a [[monopoly]] on the spice trade in Europe. The disruption of this trade by the rise of other Mediterranean powers such as the [[Mameluk dynasty|Mameluks Sultans]] and the [[Ottoman Empire]] was one of many factors that led Europeans to search more widely for other routes to Asia. Portuguese traders finally discovered Ceylon ([[Sri Lanka]]) at the end of the fifteenth century, and restructured the traditional production of cinnamon by the ''[[salagama]]'' caste. The Portuguese established a fort on the island in 1518, and protected their own monopoly for over a hundred years. Dutch traders finally dislodged the Portuguese by allying with the inland Ceylon kingdom of [[Kandy]]. They established a trading post in 1638, took control of the factories by 1640, and expelled all remaining Portuguese by 1658. "The shores of the island are full of it", a Dutch captain reported, "and it is the best in all the Orient: when one is downwind of the island, one can still smell cinnamon eight [[league (unit)|leagues]] out to sea" (Braudel 1984, p. 215). The [[Dutch East India Company]] continued to overhaul the methods of harvesting in the wild, and eventually began to cultivate its own trees. The British took control of the island from the Dutch in 1796. However, the importance of the monopoly of Ceylon was already declining, as cultivation of the cinnamon tree spread to other areas, the more common cassia bark became more acceptable to consumers, and [[coffee]], [[tea]], [[sugar]] and [[chocolate]] began to outstrip the popularity of traditional spices. According to FAO, Indonesia produced almost 40% of the world cinnamon (canella) output in 2005 followed by China, India and Vietnam. ==Cultivation== [[Image:Koeh-182.jpg|right|thumb|''Cinnamomum verum'', from Koehler's ''Medicinal-Plants'' (1887)]] Cinnamon is harvested by growing the tree for two years and then [[coppice|coppicing]] it. The next year a dozen or so shoots will form from the roots. These shoots are then stripped of their bark which is left to dry. Only the thin (0.5 mm) inner bark is used; the outer woody portion is removed, leaving metre long cinnamon strips that curl into rolls ("quills") on drying; each dried quill comprises strips from numerous shoots packed together. These quills are then cut to 5-10 cm long pieces for sale. Cinnamon comes from [[Sri Lanka]], and the tree is also grown commercially at [[Tellicherry]] in southern [[India]], [[Java island|Java]], [[Sumatra]], the [[West Indies]], [[Brazil]], [[Vietnam]], [[Madagascar]], [[Zanzibar]], and [[Egypt]]. Sri Lanka cinnamon is a very thin smooth bark, with a light-yellowish brown colour, a highly fragrant aroma. ==Cinnamon and cassia== The name ''cinnamon'' is correctly used to refer to Ceylon Cinnamon, also known as "true cinnamon" (from the botanical name ''C. verum''). However, the related species [[Cassia]] (''Cinnamomum aromaticum'') and ''[[Cinnamomum burmannii]]'' are sometimes sold labeled as cinnamon, sometimes distinguished from true cinnamon as "Indonesian cinnamon" or, at least for Cassia, "Bastard cinnamon". Ceylon cinnamon, using only the thin inner bark, has a finer, less dense and more crumbly texture, and is considered to be less strong than cassia. Cassia is generally a medium to light reddish brown, is hard and woody in texture, and is thicker (2-3 mm thick), as all of the layers of bark are used. Most of the cinnamon sold in [[supermarket]]s in the [[United States]] is actually cassia. European health agencies have recently warned against consuming high amounts of cassia, due to a toxic component called [[coumarin]].<ref>{{Citation | last = Harris | first = Emily | title = German Christmas Cookies Pose Health Danger | url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6672644 | access-date = 2007-05-01}}</ref> This is contained in much lower dosages in Ceylon cinnamon and in ''[[Cinnamomum burmannii]]''. Coumarin is known to cause liver and kidney damage in high concentrations. The two barks when whole are easily distinguished, and their microscopic characteristics are also quite distinct. Cinnamon sticks (or quills) have many thin layers and can easily be made into powder using a coffee or spice grinder whereas cassia sticks are much harder, made up of one thick layer, capable of damaging a spice or coffee grinder. It is a bit harder to tell powdered cinnamon from powdered cassia. When powdered bark is treated with [[tincture of iodine]] (a test for [[Starch#Tests|starch]]), little effect is visible in the case of pure cinnamon of good quality, but when [[cassia]] is present a deep-blue tint is produced, the intensity of the coloration depending on the proportion of cassia. Cinnamon is also sometimes confused with [[Malabathrum]] (''Cinnamomum tamala'') and [[Saigon Cinnamon]] (''Cinnamomum loureiroi''). ==Uses== [[Image:Cinnamomum verum.jpg|right|thumb|Quills of true cinnamon bark]] Cinnamon bark is widely used as a [[spice]]. It is principally employed in cookery as a condiment and flavouring material, being largely used in the preparation of some kinds of [[dessert]]s, [[chocolate]], spicy [[candies]], [[tea]], [[hot cocoa]] and [[liqueur]]s. In the [[Middle East]], it is often used in savoury dishes of chicken and lamb. In the United States, cinnamon and sugar are often used to flavour [[cereal]]s, bread-based dishes, and [[fruit]]s, especially [[apple]]s; a [[cinnamon sugar|cinnamon-sugar]] mixture is even sold separately for such purposes. Cinnamon can also be used in [[pickling]]. Cinnamon bark is one of the few spices which can be consumed directly. In medicine it acts like other volatile oils and once had a reputation as a cure for [[common cold|colds]]. It has also been used to treat [[diarrhea]] and other problems of the digestive system.<ref>{{Citation | last = Felter | first = Harvey | title = Cinnamomum.—Cinnamon. | url=http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/kings/cinnamomum.html | access-date = 2007-05-01}}</ref> Cinnamon is high in [[antioxidant]] activity (PMID 16190627, PMID 10077878). The essential oil of cinnamon also has [[antimicrobial]] properties (PMID 16104824), which aid in the preservation of certain foods.<ref>{{Citation | last = George Mateljan Foundation | first = Cinnamon, ground | title = Research: Thalido… | url=http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=68 | access-date = 2007-05-01}}</ref> In the media, "cinnamon" has been reported to have remarkable pharmacological effects in the treatment of [[type II diabetes]]. However, the plant material used in the study (PMID 14633804) was actually [[cassia]], as opposed to true cinnamon. Please refer to [[Cassia#Medicinal use|cassia's medicinal uses]] for more information about its health benefits. Cinnamon has traditionally been used to treat toothache and fight bad breath and its regular use is believed to stave off [[common cold]] and aid digestion.<ref>[http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/803646/chillies_are_the_spice_of_life__peppers_have_been/index.html?source=r_health Chillies Are the Spice of Life By ALICE HART-DAVIS]</ref> Cinnamon is used in the system of Thelemic [[Magick]] for the invocation of [[Apollo]], according to the correspondences listed in [[Aleister Crowley]]'s work ''[[Liber 777]]''. Cinnamon is also used as an [[insect repellent]].<ref>{{Citation | last = Beck | first = Leslie | title = Cinnamon - December 2006's Featured Food | url=http://www.lesliebeck.com/ingredient_index.php?featured_food=80 | access-date = 2007-05-01}}</ref> ==See also== *[[Cinnamon roll]] == References == {{cookbook}} {{Commons|Cinnamomum verum}} {{1911}} ===Notes=== <references/> ===General references=== * [[Fernand Braudel|Braudel, Fernand]] (1984). ''The Perspective of the World'', Vol III of ''Civilization and Capitalism''. * [[Charles Corn|Corn, Charles]] (1998). ''The Scents of Eden: A Narrative of the Spice Trade''. New York: Kodansha International. * "Cinnamon Extracts Boost Insulin Sensitivity" (2000). ''Agricultural Research'' magazine, July 2000. *{{cite journal | title = Determination of cinnamaldehyde, coumarin and cinnamyl alcohol in cinnamon and cassia by high-performance liquid chromatography | author = Alan W. Archer | journal = Journal of Chromatography | volume = 447 | year= 1988 | pages =272-276 | doi = 10.1016/0021-9673(88)90035-0 }} *[http://www.medicinalseasonings.com Medicinal Seasonings, The Healing Power Of Spices] Book by Dr. Keith Scott* ==External links== *[http://pages.unibas.ch/mdpi/ecsoc-3/d0002/d0002.html Antifungal Properties of Cinnamon [[Essential oil]] ] {{Herbs & spices}} [[Category:Laurales]] [[Category:Medicinal plants]] [[Category:Spices]] [[Category:Hebrew words and phrases]]

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