Cinnamon

Category: Health/Fitness
Written by: PakMarkaz Chef (on May 26, 2008 - 10:43 AM)

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Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices and has a long and rich history.

Cinnamon is the inner bark of the cassia tree, which belongs to the laurel family.

It offers a number of benefits and has antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-fungal properties.

It also helps maintain a healthy blood sugar level.

Common kitchen uses

Sweet cinnamon is commonly used in Indian curries, Middle Eastern mezes and traditional British fruitcakes.

The warm flavour found popularity in Europe, Asia and the Mediterranean several centuries ago.

Cinnamon is widely used throughout Europe to flavour Christmas cakes and mince pies.

In the Middle East, it is often used in lamb and chicken dishes.

I use the spice in moussaka as it renders an authentic Greek flavour to the dish.

I sprinkle it on my shepherd’s pie. It goes well with apple pies and crumbles.

You can sprinkle it on your cappuccino.

History

In ancient times, cinnamon was considered a gift fit for kings. Arab traders brought the spice from China to Alexandria around 2000BC.

The Venetian traders who brought it to Italy and then controlled its trade in Europe soon became extremely wealthy.

The name cinnamon comes from the Greek word, Kinnamon. The Greeks considered it a medicinal plant.

The ancient Chinese regarded cassia as the tree of life: Eating its fruit would confer immortality and eternal happiness.

The ancient Egyptians used cinnamon in cosmetics and for embalming their dead.

It was also used in religious ceremonies (the Romans used it on funeral pyres to disguise the smell of burning flesh).

But in Mexico, Saudi Arabia and North Africa, it has been more commonly used as a spice and also to flavour tea and coffee.

The plant (Cinnamonum verum)

Cinnamon is a small, evergreen tree about 10 to15 metres high.

It originated in Sri Lanka and is also grown in India, South America, Indonesia, the Middle East and the West Indies.

True cinnamon is usually obtained from the tree Cinnamonum zeylanicum, native to Sri Lanka and southern India.

When the tree is two years old, the outer, woodier strip of bark is removed, leaving long, thin strips of the inner bark.

This bark, when dried, curls into rolls called quills. It can then be ground into powder or used whole.

Cinnamon as medicine

Although principally used for flavouring, cinnamon was also used as a herbal medicine till 500BC.

But its beneficial impact on cholesterol and blood sugar levels had been overlooked until some time back.

A recent study conducted by the Department of Agriculture, the United States, tested 60 patients with Type 2 diabetes using 1g of cinnamon.

Within weeks, the patients recorded blood sugar levels that were, on an average, 20 per cent lower.

Some even achieved normal levels. Even the triglyceride levels had been lowered by 18-29 per cent and cholesterol levels were reduced by 12-26 per cent.

MCHPA, a compound found in cinnamon, is said to lower blood sugar levels but more research is needed.

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