Surely, even in the school cafeteria, you took a bun with a fragrant spice for yourself and even then thought about how cinnamon grows. In cooking, it is used quite often. It grows on evergreen trees up to 15 meters high, belonging to laurel plants.
Places of growth
Wondering where cinnamon grows in wildlife, you can find out that most often the plant is found in southern India and Sri Lanka. He has oblong-oval leaves about 18 cm long. Bunches of flowers make up inflorescences and have a greenish tint. Unlike the final product, they have an unpleasant aroma. Looking at the powder in a bag, you may not immediately understand how cinnamon originally looked, how it grows, what kind of tree it is.
In fact, these are purple berries 1 cm in diameter. These plants can be found on the islands of Sumatra and Java, in the west of India, in Vietnam and Brazil, Egypt and Madagascar. But you, of course, will want to try the best product. The place where the most expensive cinnamon grows is Sri Lanka. The bark from which the spice is made here is very thin and soft, has a brown or light yellow color. She has a pleasant smell.
Having tried to feel it with taste buds, you can note the extraordinary softness and sweetness, even warmth. In China, Indonesia and Vietnam they produce fake spice - cassia, which is made from coarser layers of bark.
Manufacturing technology
This amazing product is brought from distant countries. So how does cinnamon grow? It takes two years to fully ripen and be ready for processing. When about a dozen shoots appear, the top layer is cut off from them and dried. This is how tubule scrolls get that you could see on the powder packaging.
They are cut into pieces up to 10 cm in length, in the form of which the product also often goes on sale. These are from 6 to 10 layers of thin bark, which form a single stick after it is separated from the trees. Further drying occurs.
Watching how cinnamon grows in nature, manufacturers usually pay attention to the bark being thin, because then the aroma will be most pleasant. The sticks are stored for a long time, which is permissible due to the long shelf life of the smell. To determine the quality of spices, use ekelle - a special unit. The condition of the sticks after processing and storage is very important, and not just how the cinnamon grows.
Those products that are imported to Europe are considered to be of low quality, although there are no significant differences in taste. Therefore, a powder form is used for transportation.
Application
After the product reaches customers, they add it to chocolate and desserts, spicy flavors, liqueurs, flavor them with alcohol and teas. In the countries of the Middle East, the product is used in the preparation of spicy dishes with chicken or lamb. Asians add it in a mixture with other herbs. Those people who can personally observe how cinnamon grows eat leaves. Spice for the local population is interesting not only in dried, but also in fresh form. There are also applications that are similar to our approach to using bay leaves. Americans add the substance to fruits and cereals. A good flavor combination is obtained with apples.
Germany also loves adding this spice to sweets, mulled wine or pastries. It is also a great way to make marinade tastier. It acts perfectly in the form of essential oil, since the antioxidant properties of the product and the ability to fight microbes are manifested. It should be remembered that this substance should not be taken uncontrollably. It is often found in cookies, tea, mulled wine, seasonings and yoghurts, and sometimes cosmetics. If you carry your baby under your heart, it is best not to use essential oils from the bark and flowers of this plant.
History
Peoples who on their land could watch cinnamon grow often used spice during rituals and festivals. Today in Europe it is associated with Christmas. Its warm smell awakens all good and gentle in the soul.
Bark is harvested at the height of the rainy season, which lasts in May-October. She rips off a tree very easily. Of all the spices, this can be called one of the oldest, since it was it that people began to use first of all.
Mention of it can be seen in manuscripts dating from 2800 BC. There is evidence in the Old Testament, according to which, Moses used it in an embalming mixture, since the substance has antibacterial properties. In Rome, sacred properties were attributed to this product. Nero burned an annual supply when the emperor’s wife died. It is interesting that he himself took her life and wanted to appease the gods in this way, and then it was a very expensive pleasure, because at that time 350 grams of cinnamon were estimated at 5 kilograms of silver.
Trade development
In the Middle Ages, this product was also interested. He came to Europe thanks to traders from Arab lands, he was very much appreciated. When seafarers set off to search for a waterway to India during the 1400s, their main goal was Christians and spices.
In 1536, researchers from Portugal found brown forests of large density and saw cinnamon growing. Photos of such places today can be found on the Internet, but at that time it was a real innovation. It was in Sri Lanka in the Ceylon Islands.
Then began to actively develop trade in this spice, which brought huge money to entrepreneurs. The Dutch became interested in such a business, who first occupied part of the island, and then conquered all of it. In 1776, the British showed interest in the plant, although at that time the Ceylon land no longer had a monopoly, because plantings appeared in other places.
Popularity
Today, this product is used throughout the globe. Having entered the Spanish bar, you can order a tonic with gin, from which the stick of this plant will stick out. It is added to rice. Cinnamon can also serve as a substitute for black pepper when you need to season meat dishes.
At Christmas, the French eat fragrant cookies with this spice. She does not suffer from contact with other substances, but rather, organically combines with many. It is added to cardamom, coriander, pepper and cloves, matsis and bay leaves. In India, “garam oil” is produced, in other words called a “mixture of warm spices”.
The Chinese prefer combinations with star anise, fennel, as well as cloves, the Syrians prefer paprika, zira and coriander (the mixture is called baharat, sprinkled with sheep’s meat).
Beneficial features
Cinnamon is widely used in folk medicine for its excellent properties. It helps with bloating, improves digestive processes. More sellers of medicinal plants in China have noticed this effect. You can easily get rid of nausea and diarrhea. Helps in the fight against diabetes, as evidenced by recent studies.
It is also believed that when using this spice, the response to insulin improves, blood sugar levels improve, as does blood circulation. Only by inhaling the wonderful aroma of the substance, you can feel that the brain begins to work better.
If you want to keep the aroma as long as possible, place the sticks or powder in the container, close it tightly and place in a dry, cool, dark place. You can leave them for a couple of months. To check the condition of a substance, you need to analyze its smell. It should be sweet, soothing, woody, which indicates freshness.
