The Cinnamon is a small evergreen tree 10-15 metres tall, belonging to the family Lauraceae & native to Sri Lanka & Southern India. The bark is widely known & used as a spice. It is grown elsewhere in the world, Zimbabwe being an up & coming supplier. Although available throughout the year, the fragrant, sweet & warm taste of the spice is a perfect spice to use during the winter months. The bark of the tree has a long history both as a spice & as a medicine. It is the brown bark of the cinnamon tree, which is available in its dried tubular form known as a quill or as ground powder. The two varieties of cinnamon, Chinese & Ceylon, have similar flavour, however, the spice from Ceylon (this product) is slightly sweeter, more refined & more difficult to find in local markets History of Cinnamon: - The name cinnamon comes from Greek kinnmmon, from Phoenician & akin to Hebrew qinnmn, itself ultimately from a Malaysian language, cf. Malay & Indonesian kayu manis sweet wood. Its flavour is due to an aromatic essential oil which makes up 0.5 to 1% of its composition. This oil is prepared by roughly pounding the bark, macerating it in sea-water, & then quickly distilling the whole. It is of a golden-yellow colour, with the characteristic odour of cinnamon & a very hot aromatic taste. The pungent taste & scent come from cinnamic aldehyde or cinnamaldehyde and, by the absorption of oxygen as it ages, it darkens in colour & develops resinous compounds. Chemical Constituents of Cinnamon: - Chemical components of the essential oil include ethyl cinnamate, eugenol, cinnamaldehyde, beta-caryophyllene, linalool & methyl chavicol. Cinnamon - 3 Inch Quills-6 Quills-Fine Ground -Cinnamomum Zeylanicum
