Spices and Herbs (Cinnamon and Cassia)

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum, Cinnamon zeylanicum)

Cinnamon comes from a small evergreen tree 10-15 meters tall and is native to Sri Lanka and South India. The bark is widely used as a spice due to its distinct odour and aromatic taste.
Cinnamon was imported to Egypt from China as early as 2000 BC, and is mentioned in the Bible in Exodus 30:23, where Moses is commanded to use both sweet cinnamon and cassia, and in Proverbs 7:17-18, where the lover's bed is perfumed with myrrh, aloe and cinnamon. It was commonly used on funeral pyres in Rome, and the Emperor Nero is said to have burned a year's supply of cinnamon at the funeral for his wife Poppaea Sabina, in 65 AD.
Cassia ("Chinese cinnamon") is also commonly called (and sometimes sold as) cinnamon. True cinnamon, using only the thin inner bark, has a finer, less dense and more crumbly texture, and is considered to be less strong than cassia. Cassia is generally a medium to light reddish brown, is hard and woody in texture, and is thicker (2-3 mm thick), as all of the layers of bark are used. European health agencies have recently warned against consuming high amounts of cassia, due to a toxic component called coumarin. This is contained in much lower dosages in true (Ceylon) cinnamon. Coumarin is known to cause liver and kidney damage in high concentrations.
Cinnamon bark is widely used as a spice and is principally employed in cookery as a condiment and flavouring material, being largely used in the preparation of some kinds of desserts, chocolate, spicy candies, tea, hot cocoa and liqueurs. In the Middle East, it is often used in savoury dishes of chicken and lamb. Cinnamon and sugar are often used to flavour cereals, bread-based dishes, and fruits, especially apples; a cinnamon-sugar mixture is even sold separately for such purposes. Cinnamon can also be used in pickling.

spice cinnamon cassia