kanel

CINNAMON

Cinnamomum cassia

C.zeylanicum (Lauraceae)

Cinnamon, name for trees and shrubs of the genus Cinnamomum of the family Lauraceae. Cinnamon spice comes chiefly from the Sri Lankan cinnamon (C. zeylanicum), now cultivated in several tropical regions. It is obtained by drying the central part of the bark and is marketed as stick cinnamon or in powdered form. The waste and other parts are used for oil of cinnamon, a medicine and flavoring. Cassia, cassia bark, or Chinese cinnamon (C. cassia) was used in China long before true cinnamon but is now considered an inferior substitute. Cinnamon and cassia (often confused) have been favorite spices since biblical times, used also as perfume and incense.

The two main varieties are Cinnamomum cassia and Cinnamomum zeylanicum. The first, cassia, we will consider separately in its own section. C. zeylanicum is also known as Ceylon cinnamon (the source of the its Latin name, zeylanicum), or ‘true cinnamon’ which is a lighter colour and possessing a sweeter, more delicate flavour than cassia. A native of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) the best cinnamon grows along the coastal strip near Colombo.
In ancient Egypt cinnamon was used medicinally and as a flavouing for beverages, It was also used in embalming, where body cavities were filled with spiced preservatives. In the ancient world cinnamon was more precious than gold. This is not too surprising though, as in Egypt the abundance of gold made it a fairly common ornamental metal. Nero, emperor of Rome in the first century AD, burned a years supply of cinnamon on his wife’s funeral pyre — an extravagant gesture meant to signify the depth of his loss.
Cinnamon was known in medieval Europe, where it was a staple ingredient, along with ginger, in many recipes. Since most meals were prepared in a single cauldron, casseroles containing both meat and fruit were common and cinnamon helped bridge the flavours. When crusaders brought home sugar, it too was added to the pot. Mince pie is a typical combination of this period which still survives.
The demand for cinnamon was enough to launch a number of explorers’ enterprises. The Portuguese invaded Sri Lanka immediately after reaching India in 1536. The Sinhalese King paid the Portuguese tributes of 110,000 kilograms of cinnamon annually.
The Dutch captured Sri Lanka in 1636 and established a system of cultivation that exists to this day. In its wild state, trees grow high on stout trunks. Under cultivation, the shoots are continually cropped almost to ground level, resulting in a low bush, dense with thin leafy branches. From these, come the finest quills.

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| Cinnamon Work | Cinnamon Oil |

KANEL

Det förstnämnda trädet är ständigt grönt, har motsatta, avlångt lansettformiga, trenerviga blad och vita blommor i små klasar. Det hör hemma i Sydvietnam omkring Mekongflodens delta och odlas ett ca 10 m högt träd. Den andra moderväxten är också ett ca 10 m högt träd. det har avlångt hjärtformade, läderartade blad med 3.5 huvudnerver och vita blommor i knippen. Trädet växer vilt i Sri Lankas bergsskogar och odlas i kustområdena. Den förnämsta är Ceylonkanelen som har en mycket finare och starkare arom. I kanelträdgårdarna på Sri Lanka hålls träden i buskform genom beskärning. Kanel använd:

som krydda
och i rökelser
läkemedel

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