Cinnamon – Spice of the Week

Cinnamon has a storied past and was present in many of the great civilizations. The Egyptians used cinnamon in the embalming process and it was traded widely in the Roman empire. According to Greek mythology, giant birds in the land of Dionysus (Greece, India, or lands to the east) used cinnamon sticks to build their nests. Arab traders would collect the sticks when they fell from the nests and trade them back to the people of the west.

Cinnamon comes in two different forms: Ceylon or “true cinnamon” and cassia. Ceylon comes from Sri Lanka, while various grades of cassia are found in China, Indonesia and Vietnam. Ceylon cinnamon is more popular in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, while cassia is the favorite here in the US. Our cinnamon is of the cassia variety and is imported from Vietnam, where it is know as Saigon cinnamon.

Our Saigon cinnamon is stronger and sweeter than typical store-bought varieties. Saigon cinnamon is often considered by many to be the very best of the multiple Ceylon and cassia varieties. It contains the highest content of oil and is an excellent spice for baking and seasoning blends.

This spice has a wide variety of uses, and is definitely not limited to baking uses only!  Sprinkle on french toast, oatmeal, eggnog, or even ham, sweet potatoes and other pork cuts.  It can also be sprinkled over our many coffee or loose leaf teas for some additional flavor!