Often not natural cinnamon is sold on store shelves, but cassia - the bark of the Chinese cinnamon tree, which can not only have a laxative effect on the body, but also provoke diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. To protect yourself from fakes, it is recommended to purchase cinnamon in sticks, and then grind it.
Cinnamon and cassia - how to distinguish a fake
Cinnamon, or, as it is also called, Ceylon cinnamon is an evergreen tree of the Laurel family. However, in everyday life, cinnamon is called the dried bark of this tree. It is widely used as a spice in cooking, as well as essential oils in medicine and cosmetology. Cinnamon is sold, as a rule, in the form of pieces of bark rolled into a tube, and more often in a ground form.
For the production of the spice, cinnamon is grown for two years. Then it is cut to the root. In the next vegetative year, about a dozen young shoots are formed on the cut tree, from which the bark is cut. Then it is dried, the outer layer is removed and only a thin inner layer is left. As a result, meter-long cinnamon strips remain, which, after drying, curl into long tubes. These tubes are then cut into pieces 5 to 10 cm long. It is they who go on sale.
In order to distinguish cinnamon powder from cassia powder, it is enough to carry out an iodine test, which is easily carried out even at home. When iodine is applied to cassia, it turns dark blue, while with a similar procedure, cinnamon gives only a faint bluish tint.
How to grind a cinnamon stick
For many purposes, it is cinnamon powder that is needed. To get it, a cinnamon stick needs to be crushed. An ordinary fine grater will not work for these purposes. You should also not immediately put the stick in a blender or coffee grinder - you will get pieces of different sizes.
It would be more correct to first dry the stick in a dry frying pan. This procedure will make it more fragile, remove excess moisture and enhance the aroma of the spice. But it should be remembered that cinnamon should be dried and chopped in small volumes, since whole sticks retain their properties for a whole year, and crushed ones lose after six months.
After drying, the sticks are recommended to be placed in a strong bag and rolled with a rolling pin. This will end up with pretty small pieces. The same result can be achieved with a mortar.
The resulting chunks of this size can be put into a blender, food processor, coffee grinder or coffee mill.
Store crushed cinnamon in an airtight glass or ceramic container, and always in a dark place. Under these conditions, cinnamon will always remain fresh and aromatic.
