Cinnamon, Cassia

If there were a spice popularity contest, cinnamon would win. It is widely used across many cuisines and though it might initially be associated with desserts and sweet applications, it is often a key background flavor in savory dishes around the globe. The term cinnamon is a bit misleading in some parts of the world, like the U.S. where it is used as a rather generic term for the spice regardless of the species. What is called cinnamon in the U.S. and some other countries is more accurately identified as cassia, a thick bark harvested from the cinnamomum cassia (sin-uh-MOH-mum Kass-ee-uh) tree. Cinnamomum verum or Cinnamomum zeylanicum is a different type of bark with a slightly different flavor profile that is often referred to as true cinnamon, which has its own entry in the Spice Library. Cassia is easily identified by the hard, thick scroll-shaped quills, whereas true cinnamon quills are rolls of many papery-thin layers.

Cassia has a bold flavor that is very straight forward, identifiable, aromatic and somewhat pungent with a slight bitter note. The cinnamon sold in the U.S. is actually cassia. In most other countries there are labeling requirements in place that require sellers to distinguish between cinnamon and cassia on product labels and generally only specialty spice stores in the U.S. sell cassia and cinnamon that are clearly distinguished from one another. Cassia and cinnamon can generally be used interchangeably, with slightly different results but nothing so dramatic that a dish would be ruined by using one over the other. True cinnamon has a more complex and slightly milder flavor. These differences that lie in the subtleties of flavor make for fun cooking experimentation and discovery.

Cassia is the iconic spice of American apple pie. It's a familiar flavor in sweet applications from chocolates, ice creams, and cakes to candy.  The primary function of cassia and cinnamon is in adding a sweet aroma to food and it has an interesting synergistic property when combined with sugar by enhancing sweetness even though the spice itself doesn't have a sweet taste. Cassia and cinnamon have a strong antimicrobial effect that can inhibit the activity of yeast, making bread with cinnamon rise less. In some cases this can be a benefit if used to prevent over fermentation of dough. The effect of cassia and cinnamon on yeast activity is an active area of research in the food science world and scientists are looking at ways this property can be used to improve the texture of different foods.

Cassia transitions into savory foods effortlessly with many cuisines relying on a hint of cassia or cinnamon to add depth and warmth to beef stews, rice dishes, chicken or lamb braises, taking full advantage of long slow cooking to fully draw flavor from the quills. Cassia and cinnamon are wonderful in tomato sauces adding a nice dimension to stews and braises. Many classic spice mixes take advantage of the sweet aroma and pungent flavor of cassia, including Baharat, Qalat Daqqa, Gararm masala, and Chinese Five Spice which are all great sprinkled on a variety of meats and vegetables.

Sticks of rolled cassia bark are called quills, and are formed from the thick exterior bark of mature trees. The squares of bark curl up into a scroll shape as they dry. Cassia is usually ground to an extremely fine powder to avoid a gritty texture when eaten, and it is very difficult to grind the quills as finely at home without generating volatile oil damaging heat from the grinder during the process, so this is one spice that is better to purchase ground. Some processors use a cryogenic grinding technique that involves liquid nitrogen to keep the cinnamon cold during grinding to preserve the volatile oils. Whole quills stored in airtight container away from heat and moisture will last easily 2 years, but ground cassia is best purchased in small quantities and used within a few months for the best flavor.

Key Chemical Compounds

Phenolic flavor Compound family - less volatile having more effect on taste than terpene compounds.

• Cinnamaldehyde - the distinctive aroma of cinnamon, also found in cumin

Other flavor compounds

• Methoxycinnamate - warm, sweet penetrating aroma
• Cinnamyl acetate - warm, sweet, anise aroma

Trade

Cassia was one of the earliest spices traded using the first established spice routes out of China into Arabia and the eastern Mediterranean. It wasn't until the 16^th century, when the Dutch controlled the spice trade, that production increased to a point that brought the prices of cassia, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger low enough to make them readily available to a wide population. Today Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and china together produce 85% of the whole cassia and cinnamon traded on the world market, with Sri Lanka dominating production by producing more than Indonesia and China combined. The largest importer of cassia is Mexico, accounting for 21%. The U.S. is the second largest importer buying 16.9% with India a distant third at 6%.

Cinnamomum cassia

Cassia comes from the bark of an evergreen tree in the Laurel family. Once the bark is stripped from the tree it is dried and as the strips dry, each end rolls inward creating a scroll shape. There are four common species of cinnamon and cassia that are used in commercial trade. C. cassia, C. loureirii, and C. burmannii are all considered to be in the cassia species and C. verum is cinnamon. 

• Cinnamomum loureirii (sin-uh-MOH-mum lor-EAR-ee-eye) - also known as Saigon or Vietnamese cassia and is popular for its sweet aroma and high volatile oil content giving it a strong intense flavor. It has become more available in the last few years through specialty spice shops.
• Cinnamomum cassia (sin-uh-MOH-mum Kass-ee-uh) aka Cinnamomum aromaticum - also known as Chinese cassia or Canton cassia. This variety is notable for the higher level of cinnamaldehyde volatile oil content which can be as high as 85-90%. It also has a notably sweet aroma. It is only harvested in March and April.
• Cinnamomum burmannii (sin-uh-MOH-mum bur-MAHN-ee-eye) - also known as Korintje, Batavia, or Sumatra cinnamon. This variety has a slightly more savory flavor than the other cassias. It is cultivated in Indonesia, primarily on the island of Padang, and harvested year-round. It's the most common variety imported into the U.S. and is the flavor of "cinnamon" that most people in this country would identify with. The product is graded based on volatile oil content with the greater oil content demanding a premium price (grade A) and grades B and C being less desirable. The differences in quality correlate to the part of the tree the bark comes from. Thick trunk bark has higher oil content and is grade A, grade B comes from the branches and grade C are the broken pieces and chips that are typically used for a ground product. A very unique characteristic of this species is the high mucilage content which can be 2 to 3 times that of other species. To test your cinnamon mix an equal part cinnamon with hot water, cinnamomum burmannii will form a ball where as other types of cinnamon will just produce a thick paste.

Did you know...

Cassia and cinnamon are some of the oldest spices traded with references dating back to 243 B.C.

Cinnamon, Cassia is featured in these recipes

• Cocoa Nib Pink Pepper Caramel Corn
• Graham Crackers
• Spicy Malted Hot Cocoa Mix
• Deep Chocolate Brownies
• Pumpkin Pancakes with Cranberry Maple Syrup
• Spiced Cranberry Sauce
• Spiced Iced Mocha
• Strawberries with Romanoff Sauce
• Spiced Caramel Sauce
• Spiced Crystallized Ginger
• Cinnamon Squares
• Berbere
• Coriander Caramel Apple Cake
• Spiced Feta with Apple, Cashew Crumb & Greens
• Schwarma Spice
• Spiced Malted Milk Mix
• Cranberry Almond Granola
• Blueberry Ginger Granola
• Cornish Hen with Pomegranate, Honey and Roasted Almonds
• Cider & Spice Cinnamon Rolls
• Chai Tea
• Apple-Maple-Raisin Pie