Cinnamon Health Benefits

Ceylon Cinnamon Ground 35g

 

Ceylon Cinnamon sticks 20g

 

Cinnamon Ground (cassia) 150g
Cinnamon Health Benefits

Cinnamon is now the second most popular spice after black pepper. It comes from the Caribbean, South America and Southeast Asia. Cinnamon sold as ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks is the bark of a tree in the Cinnamomum family. The cinnamon stick is very hard and dry and is used to infuse liquids and dishes before being removes rather than consuming it straight up.

Cinnamon sticks are slightly spicier than their ground counterpart with a woody, earthy taste. Ground cinnamon is fine, dry and soft, and very similar in texture to flour. Added to a drink or recipe when cooking, it dissolves in seamlessly emitting its wonderful flavour and aroma without any grainy texture.

Types of cinnamon

So, how many types of cinnamon are there? There are three common types of cinnamon you will come across including: Korintje Cinnamon Cassia, Sri Lanka Ceylon Cinnamon, and Vietnamese Cinnamon. The taste and colour varies between each so its important to know which cinnamon is right for you and your cooking.

Korintje Cassia Cinnamon

Cassia cinnamon is the most popular type. Cassia has a hard consistency and is more difficult to process into a powder form at home. Cassia is a thick, bumpy crust that forms only a few layers when rolled. Cassia has a pungent flavour and is best suited for Chinese recipes often using rich meats. Ceylon cinnamon has a broad range of health benefits compared to Cassia. Cassia cinnamon has been shown to contain a measurable amount of a natural compound called coumarin, which acts as an anticoagulant and prevents blood clotting, but at sufficiently high doses, coumarin has been linked to liver toxicity.

Cinnamon Health Benefits

Sri Lanka Ceylon Cinnamon

Cinnamon is grown in significant quantities in just ten countries, with Sri Lanka being the fourth-largest producer. Ceylon has a light brown to brown appearance and dark red-brown cassia. Ceylon is thin, and its structure is similar to paper. Ceylon sticks can be easily broken and added into dishes without barky shards getting in the way. Ceylon cinnamon has only traces of coumarin. Ceylon is soft, slightly sweet and creates an amazing sweet flavour and aroma in desserts.

Cinnamon Health Benefits

Vietnamese Cinnamon

Vietnamese cinnamon has the same parent tree that is the cassia tree, but has a very different taste. It is the same as cassia Korjinte cinnamon but is harvested and processed differently, leading to a different taste.

Vietnamese cinnamon has a strong and spicy taste with more volatile oil flavours than cassia cinnamon and is warm, fragrant and woody. Vietnamese cinnamon is the only type of cinnamon I use for apple pies because the strong aroma and taste go well with cooked apples. It is also excellent in pumpkin pies and other fruit desserts.

Cinnamon to treat diabetes

Cinnamon is widely used as a spice and also acts as a cinnamon supplement, which helps in the treatment of several conditions. It can be processed into various forms, such as powder and oil, for easy use. One of the main health uses for cinnamon is in the treatment of diabetes as it helps the body to regulate insulin and glucose levels. Antioxidants found in cinnamon can also reduce oxidative stress and can help prevent cancer, type 2 diabetes, and many other conditions.

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