We've made our cook book club virtual! We may not be able to meet in person and cook for one another, but that doesn't mean we can't create together. Each month we will highlight a different spice or seasoning. Kits will include this spice, a recipe that highlights it, a little history on the spice or recipe, and some best practices. I'll post the recipes and information here as well, so let's get cooking!
A Little Background on Cinnamon
Adapted from TheSpruceEats, Foodal and MySpicer
Cinnamon is a versatile spice that works in both sweet and savory dishes as well as its uses as a preservative due to certain organic compounds that inhibit the bacteria responsible for food spoilage. Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of an evergreen tree native to the tropics and subtropics. The "sticks" that we so often see in beverages or used in cooking are commercially known as "quills", which are formed when the thin strips of bark harvested from the Cinnamomum tree are then hand-rolled after harvesting and sun dried.
True cinnamon, Cinnamomum zeylanicum or Cinnamomum verum, is native to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and can be dated at least to 2800 BCE as recorded in Chinese writings. It is considered to be one of the first traded spices in the ancient world. Cinnamon has been highly valued throughout the globe. Egyptians used cinnamon as perfume and in their embalming process; medieval physicians used cinnamon for any ailment to do with the throat; it has also been highly valued for its preservative qualities over the years due to certain organic compounds that inhibit the bacteria responsible for spoilage. In fact, cinnamon has been so highly valued that in the first century CE, it was recorded that cinnamon went for a price fifteen times the value of silver per weight.
There was even an almost two hundred year period in which first the Dutch, after seizing Ceylon from the Portuguese, created a huge monopoly out of the cinnamon market with outrageous quotas with horrendous condition for the working poor Chalia caste that grew the spice and threatened other Southeast Asian rulers to destroy other sources to preserve the monopoly. This was followed by the French and then English, as neighboring countries fought wars and conquered one another. It only started to unwind once countries discovered the ease with which it could be grown in other tropical climates.
Best Practices for Cinnamon
Adapted from MindBodyGreen, Cinnamonvogue, Healthline, BBCGoodFood, PrecisionNutrition, TheHealthy, Bakerpedia and Foodal
There are two main types of cinnamon: "true" Ceylon cinnamon and the cheaper cassia cinnamon. Most grocery stores carry cassia. Cassia has a stronger taste, is slightly woodier, and slightly cheaper to produce and distribute. Ceylon is more delicate in both taste and texture with a slightly more bitter taste, and has less of a chemical compound that can be risky in larger quantities.
To store cinnamon, it is necessary to keep it in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Quills keep their potency better than ground. Many sites estimate that ground cinnamon has a shelf life of about six months compared to quills that retain their freshness for up to three years in optimal conditions. Past that point, while safe to eat, much of its flavor and aroma will be lost.
There is no necessary preparation. Most people are aware that the powdered form can be added directly into a dish and the sticks are often used in drinks and such.
It should be noted that the oil responsible for cinnamon's distinctive taste and can both degrade and evaporate in high heat and that due to its antifungal properties, adding too much to dough will delay fermentation and proofing and could even cause the dough not to rise at all. In order to compensate for this lack in rise, extra yeast has to be added, for instance in cinnamon rolls, to compensate. The good part about this is that its antimicrobial properties actually extend a product's shelf life.
Health Benefits:
It turns out cinnamon is a great addition to most diets as it has a large number of significant health benefits. Cinnamon is used in various homeopathic remedies especially as it relates to its:
high concentration of antioxidants contain anti-inflammatory effects
anti-viral, anti-bacterial, & anti-fungal properties (In ancient times, it was often used as a preservative since one of the essential oils that give cinnamon its flavor, cinnamaldehyde, prevented the growth of the bacteria that causes food spoilage)
working as a prebiotic with possible gut health improvements
relieving digestive discomfort
keeping your brain healthy and memory working well
lowering blood sugar by stimulating insulin production and increasing insulin sensitivity and has also been shown to be effective at reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes
helping with bad breath and tooth decay
lowering cholesterol and blood pressure as well as decreasing your risk of heart disease
and fighting certain cancers.
If you are thinking about using this for health reasons, regardless of type, the key is in its freshness. The longer it sits on the shelf, the more of the essential oils that provide these benefits evaporate. See above for storage and upkeep.
Potential Hazards:
Cinnamon, including the most common variant, is quite safe in small to moderate amounts and you would have to massively overdo it in order for most of the following to occur. However, if you are using it for health reasons, using extremely large quantities for some other reason, or have an underlying medical condition such as diabetes, heart disease, or asthma, you might need to see a health care professional prior to ingesting said larger quantities. That being said, there are two compounds in cinnamon to be aware of, particularly in the more common cinnamomum cassia variety:
The first is called coumarin and has been scientifically linked in larger doses to liver damage, lung damage, and an increase in risk for certain cancers, although that last one still requires more research in human test subjects for verification as most has been in animals. In the case of liver damage, one site relayed the example of a 73-year-old woman who had a sudden liver infection that caused severe damage after only one week on a cinnamon supplement, however the supplement used c. cassia in much higher concentrations than would ever be found in a regular diet. Coumarin has also been shown to increase the effects of medications for diabetes, heart disease, and liver disease to a possibly dangerous degree. The US currently does not have any safety regulations regarding safe amounts of cassia cinnamon and the FDA generally considers cinnamon to be a safe compound including the essential oils and oleoresins within, but European standards state a grown person of about 130 lbs should not consume more than 1 teaspoon of cinnamon daily. “True” Ceylon or verum cinnamon has roughly 1/100-1/200 the amount of this compound compared to the more common cassia variety making such considerations virtually moot when using.
The second is one of the principle aromatics that create the signature bite of cinnamon called cinnamaldehyde. In addition to creating the signature flavor of cinnamon, cinnamaldehyde can be a respiratory irritant meaning that if you have asthma, it could cause issues. This is further compounded by the fact that if you breath it in, you literally breathing in micro particles of tree bark. However, this compound is also key to a number of health benefits including reducing the risk of certain cancers, lowering blood sugar and lowering cholesterol.
Again, if you do have some of those issues listed above, see a health professional before committing to the spice. You would more than likely have to eat a massive amount to get the dangerous side effects, though. The Cinnamon Challenge might not be safe but general use in cooking and health is. Enjoy!
Main Event:
Grilled Caramelized Pineapple
As adapted from SixSistersStuff for use by the Brown Deer Library Cook Book Club
Prep: 30 min. ● Cook: 15 min. ● Total: 45 min. ● Servings: 8
Ingredients
1 pineapple cut into spears, large wedges or chunks
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter melted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon honey
Directions
Thread pineapple onto skewers (if using wooden skewers, soak in water for at least 30 minutes before threading pineapple on). Mix together brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, and honey. Place skewered pineapple on a large plate or pan. Using a spoon or a brush, thoroughly glaze each piece of pineapple with the brown sugar mixture.
Place skeweres on a grill, preheated to a medium-high temperature. Cook for 5-10 minutes on each side, or just until the sugar-glaze starts to caramelize.
Serve warm, maybe with vanilla ice cream.
The original recipe suggests using these as appetizer, side dish, or desert. It also mentions being able to do it on the stove in a pan using the same directions - which is what I did when I tested it out. As it was cooling, I continued to add the heated glaze from the bottom of the pan on to the pineapple and it became really thick and yummy!
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