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The sweet, fragrant spice cinnamon is one of my favorites for winter, and I’ll bet it’s one of yours, too. It reminds me of warming up with cider on a chilly evening, or my mother baking sweet rolls. Sure, we all love it, but what do we really know about cinnamon? There’s more to this little guy than you might realize. Read on to find out.
Cinnamon’s two most common types are Ceylon and Chinese. They are similar in flavor but some feel the Ceylon is sweeter and definitely more difficult to locate for purchase. How long has cinnamon been around? Well, there are references to cinnamon dating back to 2700 BC, documented in Chinese botanical medicine books. So, a very, very long time.
Cinnamon isn’t only for flavor and scent, it also offers us a much-needed trace mineral called Manganese, a source of iron, calcium and dietary fiber. This warming spice is a much-valued product in traditional Chinese medicine and used as a warming agent at the onset of cold or flu and most often mixed with fresh ginger and served as a nice warm tea.
Cinnamon’s essential oil is known as an antibacterial and has actually proven responsive in treatment of yeast overgrowth. Also, this lovely spice has has shown to be effective as a way to preserve foods.
Hey, if all of that wasn’t enough, cinnamon is also known to boost brain function.
How do you store it? It’s best kept in a sealed glass container in a dark cool dry place. Keep it for six months to a year. Or, another option is to store it in a refrigerator. How do you know if it isn’t fresh? If it doesn’t smell sweet it isn’t fresh, and it’s time to toss it!
Of course, cinnamon is wonderful when added to apple cider, oatmeal or used in cinnamon toast, and it’s also a great addition to any curry meal. So, next time you wish to warm up your personal space, consider adding our friend cinnamon.
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