Cinnamon is a flavor that is so familiar to us all. The brownish red powder is pervasive in our everyday lives and is a common flavoring so many recipes and in so many products that we purchase at the grocery store. But what is cinnamon really?

Cinnamon is a catch-all term for a spice derived from the bark of several species of trees. The subject of this article Cinnamomum verum (Ceylon Cinnamon) known as “true cinnamon,” is native mainly to Sri Lanka and Southern India; yields a sweet, delicate flavor. However, the common grocery store cinnamon or Cinnamomum burmanii is native to Indonesia. There are also the Cinnamomum loureiroi native to Vietnam that has high intensity spicy flavor or the strong pungent Cinnamomum cassia native to China. Although the flavor of all of these may be similar, the chemical compositions and relative health benefits (and detriments) are different. I am going to focus this article on true cinnamon because it has in my opinion it is a lovely plant for any South Florida garden, has the best flavor, and has the best toxicological profile.

To clarify, I am going to start off with a discussion of Coumarin. Coumarin is a fragrant sweet smelling chemical compound that occurs naturally in many plants such as lavender, tonka beans and sweet clover. It smells like newly mown grass or vanilla. It is used in perfumery medicine and flavorings throughout the world. However, with high intake it can cause liver toxicity and in burmanii, loureiroi and cassia Cinnamomum varieties, Coumarin is relatively high. Cinnamomum verum, on the other hand, has very low concentrations of Coumarin making it, in my estimation more desirable to use for consumption. Especially if you consume the quantities of cinnamon that I enjoy the additional knowledge of the lower Coumarin levels in Cinnamomum verum.


Cinnamomun verum leaf

Cinnamomum verum (Common names- Ceylon cinnamon, Sweet cinnamon, or true cinnamon) is a small to medium evergreen tree native to the tropical evergreen forests of Sri Lanka and Southern India. Young plants thrive in a shady environment, but mature plants can handle full sun to shade. The trunk is slender and greyish brown bark. The leaves are opposite or sub-opposite, simple, entire, and leathery with the blade ovate to elliptical defined by the unique three to five conspicuous veins arising from the base of the leaf. the flowers are individual bisexual and pale yellow greenish while the fruit is formed in a one seeded fleshy drupe and begin green then turn purple or black when mature and are a good food source for birds. The root systems are deep and spreading and they prefer moist, fertile, soils with good drainage.

The part of the plant that is most utilized as cinnamon is the inner bark. Branches roughly 1/2″-2″ in diameter are scraped of the outer bark then meticulously rubbed with metal bars to release the inner bark that is carefully cut/scraped off in sheets and then dried to cure and curl. The dried leaves can be used to make a cinnamon tea or as a flavoring in dishes. The astringent berries are rarely consumed by human but have some use in traditional recipes such as jams, chutneys, and preserves as an herbal infusion. As a plant in the southern Florida garden cinnamon thrives and can provide a unique texture and depth with its dynamic foliar appearance and full structure. Once established they require little maintenance and slowly grow into a round shape then branching out as a medium sized tree.


Cinnamomun verum tree

The culinary uses of cinnamon are extensive it is used dishes that range from sweet to savory and has vast applications in many different cultures’ culinary traditions. Cinnamon has the ability as a spice to round bitterness, smooth sharpness, and adds depth making it able to enhance both sweet and savory dishes. In Mexico it is a key spice in Horchata and arroz con leche. In the middle east tagines and pilafs rely on the spice to help form the depth of lamb or vegetable stews. In India cinnamon is a key spice in garam masala. Incidentally garam masala is different to every region and every family so the variability of the cinnamon will differ depending on where you are and who you talk to.


Cinnamomun verum flowers

In all the cinnamon verum is a great addition to your garden and can provide an immense array of culinary and medicinal additions to your next endeavor in the kitchen. There is no comparison to its scent in a fresh cinnamon roll or how it adds to the complex depth of a stew. It is one of the most universally used spices across the world and although we may not always know exactly which cinnamon we are using, we can learn more about the differences in taste and applications of each variety.

References
Bandara, Thusharie, et al. “Cinnamon as a Functional Food and Its Effects on Human Health.” Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, vol. 52, no. 9, 2012, pp. 813-828. Pathak, Rashmi, and Himanshu Sharma. “A Review on Medicinal Uses of Cinnamomum verum (Cinnamon).” Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics, vol. 11, no. 6-S, 2021, pp. 161-166. https://doi.org/10.22270/jddt.v11i6-S.5145.
Jayaprakasha, G. K., L. Jagan Mohan Rao, and K. K. Sakariah. “Chemical Composition of Volatile Oil from Cinnamomum zeylanicum Buds.” Zeitschrift für Naturforschung C, vol. 58, 2003, pp. 990-992.
Krishnamoorthy, B., and J. Rema. “Botany and Horticulture of Cinnamon and Cassia.” Horticultural Reviews, vol. 26, 2000, pp. 163-188.
Ranasinghe, P., et al. “Medicinal Properties of ‘True’ Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum): A Systematic Review.” BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 13, 2013, article 275.
Ravindran, P. N., K. Nirmal Babu, and M. Shylaja, editors. Cinnamon and Cassia: The Genus Cinnamomum. CRC Press, 2004.
Sharifi-Rad, Javad, et al. “Cinnamomum Species: Bridging Phytochemistry Knowledge, Pharmacological Properties and Toxicological Safety for Health Benefits.” Frontiers in Pharmacology, vol. 12, 2021, Article 600139. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.600139.
Singh, Neetu, et al. “Phytochemical and Pharmacological Review of Cinnamomum verum J. Presl: A Versatile Spice Used in Food and Nutrition.” Food Chemistry, vol. 338, 2021, Article 127773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.127773.