The warm, woody notes of cinnamon flavor fall, from ciders and
mulled wines to apple pie and cinnamon rolls. But the spice is more
than a seasonal delight. Cinnamon is also a key ingredient in
Indian masalas and east Asian dishes, and it has a rich history
along the shores of the Mediterranean.
The warm, woody notes of cinnamon flavor fall, from ciders and mulled wines to apple pie and cinnamon rolls. But the spice is more than a seasonal delight. Cinnamon is also a key ingredient in Indian masalas and east Asian dishes, and it has a rich history along the shores of the Mediterranean.
One of the first known spices, cinnamon was exchanged as a symbol of friendship in early Israel, according to the Bible. In ancient Rome, mourners burnt it in funeral pyres to mask the scent of charred flesh, wrote Troy David Osborne, author of “A Taste of Paradise: Cinnamon,” which is part of the collections at the University of Minnesota’s James Ford Bell Library.
In fact, Emperor Nero purportedly burnt a year’s worth of cinnamon at the funeral of his wife, Poppaea, in 65 A.D., wrote Osborne, and passing years made the spice no less of a status symbol. By the middle ages, the conspicuous consumption of spice was a matter of social rank among Europe’s elite, who served guests not only food, but also trays piled high with spices, he wrote.
These appetite enhancers were not inexpensive. Cinnamon was carried to north Africa in small batches by Arab traders who closely guarded the secret of its source. The spice’s scarcity pushed up prices, and middlemen like the Venitians – the only distributors of cinnamon in Europe – put the mark-up even higher, wrote Osborne. But the expensive tastes of Europe’s burgeoning middle class combined with political instability in North Africa and the greed of other European nations led to more direct imports.
Cinnamon, it so happened, came from southeast Asia, as Portuguese spice seekers discovered when they landed at Ceylon – better known today as Sri Lanka – in the 15th century. The Sinhalese cultivated cinnamon by peeling the bark off native trees, wrote Osborne, in a similar fashion to the way cinnamon is harvested today.
The spice is made from the dried inner bark of evergreen trees that belong to the genus Cinnamomum, according to the McCormick En-spice-lopedia. As these sheets of bark dry they curl, forming the familiar shape of cinnamon sticks, or “quills,” Today, very little of the cinnamon consumed in the United States actually comes from Sri Lanka, because the plants that grow there have a unique flavor. Instead, most American cinnamon originates in Indonesia or Vietnam, according to the publication.
Modern science tells us that cinnamon isn’t just a flavor agent, either. It could be good for consumers’ health, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
Recent studies conducted by the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service suggest that chemical compounds in cinnamon may increase sugar metabolism. Test-tube analyses found that the cinnamon compounds could increase sugar metabolism twenty times. This could be helpful to people at risk for Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which causes impaired sugar and fat metabolism, according to the agency. Another study conducted by the Agricultural Research Service found that adding 1/2 teaspoon per day of cinnamon to diabetics’ diets dramatically reduced their blood sugar levels.
But, not to fear, there isn’t a need to down the stuff by the spoonful. Beneficial effects can be achieved by simply
soaking a cinnamon stick in a cup of hot tea, the study found.
If you’d like to experiment with cinnamon this fall, try sprinkling a bit of the spice in with your morning coffee’s grounds or over ice cream. Or, for the more adventurous, try this selection from Judith Pierce Rosenberg, author of “A Swedish Kitchen: Reminisces and Recipes”:
Glögg (Mulled Wine)
5 whole white cardamom pods, cracked
2 whole cloves
1 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
1 tsp. dried orange peel
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/3 cup Madeira wine
1 cup good-quality red wine such as burgundy
Step 1: Put all of the ingredients in a stainless steel pan and slowly heat but do not boil. Strain and drink immediately.
Alternate option: For stronger flavor, let spices steep for several hours or overnight; strain and gently reheat.
