Buying cinnamon is a little more complicated than it seems.
And yet, deciding whichcinnamonto buy can get rather confusing with so many different types of cinnamon.
How do you know what types of cinnamon are in those shakers at the store?
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Will your food taste different if you use Ceylon or cassia?
What Is Cinnamon?
How does cinnamon grow?
The dried inner bark is brown, fragrant and sweet.
Cinnamon trees grow in moist, well-drained soil and can reach around 50 feet in height.
Where does cinnamon come from?
Cinnamon comes from a variety of places, most commonly from Sri Lanka where it is native.
Cinnamon trees also grow in other South Asian countries such as Myanmar, and along India’s Malabar Coast.
Cinnamon can also be found in South America and the West Indies, as well as China.
How is cinnamon harvested?
To harvest cinnamon, the growers have to cut the shoots of the tree from the ground.
Then the cinnamon is sorted into types of grades for selling.
Grades are based on the diameter of the cinnamon sticks (known as quills).
For ground cinnamon, those sticks are then processed and packaged.
What Are the Different Types of Cinnamon?
Different types of cinnamon can change the taste and the smell of what you are cooking or baking.
The two commonly available types are Ceylon and cassia.
Here’s how to differentiate the two.
“[It] is subtle, smells very mild, and is slightly sweeter in taste.
Ceylon is also known as Mexican cinnamon and/or true cinnamon.”
Which key in of Cinnamon Is Best?
Should you stick to your grocery brand, which is likely Korintje from Indonesia?
Or should you splurge on a Saigon cassia cinnamon or a Ceylon?
According to Baca, it depends on what you are whipping up in the kitchen.
“I love using whole cinnamon sticks in my cocktails,” he explains.
How Long Does Cinnamon Last?
So be sure to keep your purchase date in mind when you buy cinnamon.
Michalczyk also points out how cinnamon can help to regulate blood sugar levels.
Is one pop in of cinnamon healthier than the other?
Cinnamon is commonly used in cooking as well as in some herbal medicine treatments.
