Meet the ingredient #4: Cinnamon

Yesterday I published the Cinnamon Rolls recipe. Since it is really important to know the ingredients we are cooking with, here are the Cinnamon properties and details!

Introduction

There are two cinnamon plants from which the precious spice is obtained. Both types are evergreen and belonging to the Lauraceae family: the Cinnamomum zeylanicun and the Cinnamomum cassia. The first one comes from Sri Lanka and is the most valuable. The second comes from China and costs less.

Unlike other spices that are obtained from plants leaves and flowers cinnamon is obtained directly from the branches or from the small stems of the tree. In fact, only the inner part of the bark is used. The bark parts, once cut, are dried.

The quality of the cinnamon depends mainly on the age of the branches from which it is obtained. A younger age corresponds to a better quality.

Properties

Only the Cinnamomum zeylanicun has healing properties, the main ones are:

• Antioxidant compounds: one of the main cinnamon properties it the antioxidant one. Cinnamon is in fact one of the foods with the highest antioxidant power. Antioxidants are very important for our health. In fact, they counteract the free radicals activity and slow down the cells aging.
• Natural Antiseptic: it is a natural antiseptic able to fight and eliminate fungi, viruses and bacteria. For this reason, in recent years, toothpaste, mouthwashes and products based on this precious spice are available on the market.
• Helps diabetics: according to recent studies, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, it has been shown that cinnamon helps regulate the percentage of sugar in the blood. It thus helps diabetics and hyperglycemics.
• Stimulating effect: cinnamon has the ability to alleviate the states of exhaustion resulting from diseases such as influenza and dysentery.
• Disinfectant: in case of wounds, after cleaning them, they can be sprinkled with cinnamon powder.
• Alzheimer: a study made by Tel Aviv University claims that cinnamon has properties useful for treating Alzheimer's disease. It seems that a substance found in the bark called CEppt has the ability to block this disease development.
• Multiple sclerosis: at Rush University Medical Center, researchers claim that cinnamon can help blocking the multiple sclerosis degenerative process. This could avoid patients taking expensive and dangerous meds with many side effects. However, this application hasn't been confirmed, yet.

Calories and nutritional values

100g of cinnamon contain 200 kcal, and:

• 53% dietary fibers
• 10% water
• 4% protein
• 3.6% ash
• 2.15% sugar
• 1.25% fat

Minerals: calcium, manganese, iron, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, selenium, copper, selenium and zinc.

Vitamins: vitamin A, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, ascorbic acid or vitamin C, vitamin E, K and J.

Amino acids: aspartic and glutamic acid, alanine, arginine, cystine, glycine, phenylalanine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, proline, methionine, serine, tyrosine, tryptophan, valine and threonine.

Contraindications

As with all foods, it can have contraindications if eaten in large quantities. The ideal amount is 3 grams per day. In this quantity the spice is able to decrease the blood sugar and stimulate a hormone responsible for regulating the hunger.

With a constant overdose it can cause allergies, mucosal irritations, ulcers and allergic rashes. The spice usage, if not sporadic, is not recommended in case of pregnancy, lactation, some intestine or liver diseases and for children younger than two years old.

Usages

It is possible to use cinnamon for many purposes, for example:

• cinnamon rolls
• apple strudels or apple pies
• to flavor the hot chocolate, tea or coffee
• it is possible to use cinnamon also for some savory dishes. For example, the spiced rice or some types of curry. If you want to try the spicy risotto you can add to the classic fried garlic and onion, a cinnamon stick, a teaspoon of pepper and some cumin. Then proceed to prepare risotto as usual.
• gingerbreas biscuits or other kinds of cookies

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Also tips on how to use cinnamon for other purposes are welcome!