The Value of True Cinnamon

Ahh..Cinnamon. The warming, sweet and delicious spice that is known for its potential to help balance blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol and fight against yeast infections among other conditions.

Like with most things, the better the quality, the more effective and functional it will be. Cinnamon is no different. In North America, there is no need to distinguish true cinnamon from another variety of cinnamon which is more inferior. The quality difference also defines the potential impact on health. Studies have consistently found that Cassia cinnamon has significantly more couramin levels than True or Ceylon Cinnamon. Couramin in high doses can cause liver damage and potentially issues for blood clotting. In one study, On average, cassia cinnamon powder contained up to 63 times more coumarin than Ceylon cinnamon powder and cassia cinnamon sticks contained 18 times more coumarin than Ceylon sticks.

Sadly, you only need a little bit of Cassia to reach your tolerable daily limit (TDI). A more recent study in Germany found that, for an adult with a body weight of 60 kg, the TDI is reached, if 2 g of Cassia cinnamon with average coumarin content are consumed per day. For an infant with a body weight of 15 kg, this is the case if 0.5 g of Cassia cinnamon with average coumarin content are consumed per day. Consumers who frequently eat large quantities of cinnamon as a spice should therefore opt for the low-coumarin True cinnamon. True Cinnamon is more expensive but clearly better for you.

 Here are some ways to tell the difference:

Name

The real Cinnamon is more commonly known and sold as True Cinnamon or Ceylon Cinnamon to differentiate it from all other varieties.

 Botanical Name

True Cinnamon is derived from Cinnamom Zeylanicum or Verum  and is usually grown in Sri Lanka or India whereas other Cinnamon could be from China, Indonesia or Vietnam is usually a derivative of Cassia, often known as Saigon Cinnamon or Chinese Cinnamon. In North America, Cassia can be called Cinnamon, hence the consumer confusion that arises.

Colour

True Cinnamon (below top) is usually light brown to pale tan whereas Cassia (below bottom) is usually much darker, verging on a reddish brown colour. Both forms of Cinnamon can be bought in quills, bark or ground form.

Categorization & Taste

If you look at our grades of taste profiles for spices (hot, pungent, tangy, sweet & mild), the true cinnamon would be a sweet spice. True Cinnamon in its ground form is very dusty in texture and still light in colour. It is sweet smelling and has woody undertones with no lingering bitterness or pungency. By comparison, Cassia is slightly coarser in texture and does have a slight bitterness to it and the powder is darker and redder.

Quick Tips for Everyday Use

Here are some ways to incorporate True Cinnamon into your diet:

1. Breakfast: Add 1/2 teaspoon to smoothies, spread on toast, add to granola
2. Snacks: Sprinkle a little on fruits like apples, pears, bananas,
3. Treats: Sprinkle a little over ice-cream or in a chocolate sauce
4. Savoury: Cinnamon pairs really well with Chili so try adding a little bit to curries and any Mexican dish!

Know what you buy and why you are buying it before you buy it.

The Art of Balancing Spices

Have you ever wondered what to do when you put too much of a certain spice into a dish or how to flavour a dish such that you can distinguish between the different spices you have used?

Just as one would pair wine with cheese or food with wine to optimize our eating experience, the same is true of spices. Knowing which spices go well with each other can be crucial to getting an overall balance in flavour in any dish. You wouldn't eat a dish that is too salty or too bitter and nor should you eat a dish where one spice overpowers everything.

The lawyer in me likes to compartmentalize things and so with spices, this is exactly what I do. The taste buds can easily identify the sweetness, saltiness, sourness, bitterness and savouriness in a dish. In similar fashion, I like to split my spices into five easily identifiable tastes:  Hot, Pungent, Tangy, Sweet and Mild. They are also in top-down order of the proportions (little-more) in which, in most but not all cases, they should be used when combined with other spices.

Hot - Often but Little

As the name suggests, these spices are the ones with the most piquancy and heat. They are also most prone to overpowering a dish. Hot spices such as chilis and black pepper are known for their health benefits and antioxidant properties so wherever possible, these should be used often but in small doses. The Mild spices and a natural sweetener would be good ways to counter a dish with too much heat.

Pungent - Always and in Equal parts

Pungency is most associated with aroma and the sense of smell but it is also an apt description for the next level of spices in our chart. Spices such as cardamom, cloves, saffron, cumin would fall under this category. There really should be sub-categories as each spice in this category has a different flavour and level of pungency. Cloves would be more at the stronger and more menthol end while saffron and cardamom at a more sweeter and lighter end. However, none of these spices have any heat but they are still strong in flavour and so it is really important to keep proportions equal or as close to equal when using more than a few of the pungent spices in a dish. The key is to get a beautiful balance of flavours and if a dish has twice as much cloves or cumin as cardamom, the dish would be menthol and earthy but lack the aromatic sweetness of cardamom.

Tangy -Occasional and Enough

If you have already used hot and pungent spices, a dish may call for some sourness to take the edge off the spices a little. The spice equivalent to lemon or lime would be curry leaves, tamarind, sumac or amchur powder. Again, as with the pungent spices, the tangy spices are individual in the strength of sourness they would bring to a dish. Sumac and amchur powder are at the lighter citrusy end of the spectrum with tamarind being at the opposite end. Use these when the occasion calls for it in a dish or spice blend and just enough to add tanginess into the flavour pot.

Sweet - Alone and More

Spices such as cinnamon, rose, nutmeg and vanilla are typically associated with baking or desserts and so no wonder these are appropriately allocated to the 'Sweet' category. That said, these spices are also just as effective and flavourful in savoury dishes when used in the right proportions and context. The other beauty of these spices is that they can easily be used on their own in so many ways without needing any other spice to accompany it. The Sweet spices also marry very well with the 'lighter' Pungent ones too such as cardamom and saffron.

Mild - Necessary and Most

The likes of turmeric, coriander and fennel  form part of this group of spices. These spices maintain their individual taste and tones but when combined with other spices, they tend to take a back seat in a dish - either not seen, not tasted or not overpowering. This, of course, means one can use more of these in proportion to other spices and coriander, especially, is a great countering spice with too much cumin or hot spices.

Not every dish requires a spice from each category but a good balance can be just as effectively achieved by some of the following combinations:

Hot + Pungent + Mild  

E.g. Chili + Cumin + Coriander

Pungent + Sweet + Mild 

E.g. Cardamom + Cinnamon + Fennel

Pungent + Sweet

E.g. Saffron + Rose

Hot + Sweet + Tangy + Mild 

E.g. Chili + Cinnamon + Amchur + Turmeric

Pungent + Tangy + Mild

E.g. Nigella + Curry Leaves + Turmeric

What pairing combinations do you use?