What are the common types of cinnamon

Inspiration

• I’ve been making my own spiced drinks lately like masala chai and horchata. They both call for different types of cinnamon stick. I also read that the type of cinnamon most frequently used in [[United States|American]] cooking has a higher concentration of some compound that can be unhealthy for us if consumed regularly and in higher quantities

My guess before digging in

• There are probably hundreds of species of cinnamon, but only a handful are cultivated for culinary use. Some may be cultivars that evolved when brought to different regions by various spice trades

Findings

Source: Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)

• Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus Cinnamomum
• The characteristic aroma and flavor of cinnamon derive from its essential oil and principal component, cinnamaldehyde, as well as numerous other constituents, including eugenol
• Cinnamomum verum, for canela in Spanish, formerly Cinnamomum zeylanicum
  • Known as [[Sri Lanka|Ceylon]] cinnamon, considered “true cinnamon”, but most cinnamon in international cuisine is derived from four other species, usually more correctly referred to as “cassia”
  • Native to [[India]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Bangladesh]] and [[Myanmar]]
  • Ultra low courmarin levels that don’t damage the liver
• Cinnamomum burmannii
  • [[Indonesia|Indonesian]] cinnamon, Padang cassia, or Korintje
• Cinnamomum cassia also Cinnamomum aromaticum
  • Chinese cinnamon or Chinese cassia
  • Native to [[Travel/Asia/China|China]]
  • Comprised 39% of commercially sold cinnamon in 2023
  • The most common commercial type in the [[United States|US]]
  • High levels of coumarin that can damage the liver
• Cinnamomum loureiroi
  • [[Ho Chi Minh City|Saigon]] cinnamon or [[Vietnam|Vietnamese]] cassia
• Cinnamomum citriodorum
  • Less common
  • Malabar cinnamon
• The plant is an evergreen tree characterized by oval-shaped leaves, thick bark and a berry fruit
• The leaves are also harvested
• In [[Japan]], the more pungent roots are harvested to produce nikki (ニッキ), which is a product distinct from cinnamon (シナモン shinamon) Source: King Arthur Baking (opens in a new tab)
• There are hundreds of local, non-commercial cinnamon varieties used for various purposes — baking, cooking, and medicine — all across the globe

Etymology

• Cinnamon derices from the Ancient Greek via Latin and medieval French intermediate forms. The Greek κιννάμωμον (kinnámōmon, later κίνναμον: kínnamon) was borrowed from a Phoenician word, which was similar to the related Hebrew word קנמון (qinnāmōn)
• The name “cassia”, first recorded in late Old English from Latin, ultimately derives from the Hebrew word קציעה qetsīʿāh, a form of the verb קצע qātsaʿ, “to strip off bark”.
• Early Modern English 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

Follow-up questions

Where is Malabar

• It’s an administrative district on the southwestern Malabar Coast in Madras State in [[India]]. Madras state no longer exists. The Malabar Coast is now part of [[Kerala]]

Can you eat cinnamon tree berries?

Source: Cinnamon Tree Berries Information and Facts (opens in a new tab)

• Cinnamon buds have a clove-like appearance. They have a short stem attached to a round bud which consts of the flower remnants curled around the immature and not fully developed fruit of the cinnamon tree
• Cinnamon buds are also known as Cassia buds. They’re dried budding seeds of the cinnamon tree
• There are two different varieties of cinnamon tree that produce both the buds as well as the bark
  • Cinnamomum verum and Cinnamomum cassia
• They are used whole or ground, like black peppercorns

What’s the type of cinnamon I grew up with in the US?

• Any of the three that aren’t Ceylon cinnamon because they’re significantly cheaper to produce and import
• Korintje and Saigon, specifically in that order, are the two most frequently sold in ground cinnamon bottles at big-box stores. When you flip over to check out the ingredient list on a bottle and see “ground cinnamon," you can assume it’s one of these two