Author: Maithri Jansz

Most people know of the spice cinnamon. However, a fact that most Sri Lankans have taken for granted, and is only now coming to light, is that not all cinnamon found on the market is “true”. What does one mean by true? Well, there are four species of plants where the bark is used to make the cinnamon spice. All of them belong to the genus Cinnamomum, thus there is no “fake” cinnamon perse. However, one species, Cinnamomum verum (C.zeylanicum), outranks the other three and is thus referred to as “true” cinnamon. In fact, the name Cinnamomum verum translated from Latin means “true cinnamon”. Native to Sri Lanka (formally Ceylon), this cinnamon is also known as Ceylon cinnamon. An even lesser-known fact is that the name “Ceylon Cinnamon”, like “Ceylon tea”, has been trademarked since 2014 and can only be used to describe cinnamon produced in Sri Lanka. The other three species of cinnamon are broadly referred to as the cassia species. They are C. burmannii (Indonesian cinnamon or Padang cassia), C. cassia (Chinese cinnamon or Chinese cassia), C. loureiroi (Saigon cinnamon or Vietnamese cassia), and the less common C. citriodorum (Malabar cinnamon).

Most of the cinnamon available on the international market come from the cassia variety, with 70% coming from Indonesia (40%) and China (30%). 90% of the true cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka. Although endemic to Sri Lanka, C.verum is at present also grown in Seychelles, Madagascar, and north western India.  Because it is difficult and costly to produce, Ceylon cinnamon is expensive: costing as much as $60/kg. That, compared to cassia cinnamon, which fluctuates in the range of $2.4 – $5.9 per kg, is about ten times higher in price.

So, what’s the big deal? Despite the price, people are turning more to true cinnamon. Although both kinds of cinnamon contain the active ingredient cinnamaldehyde (cassia variety may have comparatively more of this than true cinnamon), which is also the ingredient responsible for the medical benefits of cinnamon, cinnamon contains another organic chemical compound called coumarin. Coumarin occurs naturally in a few plants. Medically, it can be used in the prevention of clot formation. However, to normal individuals it can be toxic and if consumed in large enough doses for extended periods of time, it may cause or worsen liver disease. It is also documented to have carcinogenic properties. True cinnamon contains barely a trace of coumarin, while cassia cinnamon may have 18 to 400 times more (Busch, n.d.).( https://www.ceylon-cinnamon.com documents this as 1200 times higher) This is the reason people are switching to true or Ceylon cinnamon. Coumarin in cinnamon is not currently regulated, however the maximum daily recommendation is 1tsp.

How can you tell the difference? Most people cannot tell the difference from flavour alone though the two do have distinct flavour profiles. As Gina Waggot, a former BBC food professional, says “Ceylon cinnamon is heady, sweet and spicy, while cassia is more robust.” She adds, “It’s a bit like the difference between a dark-roast coffee and a regular one,”. The colour and texture of quills are the best ways to telling the two apart. Cassia cinnamon quills are thick and hard, have a reddish-brown colour, and have few layers when rolled up, while Ceylon cinnamon quills are soft, thin, with a tan-brown colour, and have numerous layers when rolled up. Ceylon cinnamon when powdered is pleasantly sweet and is dark brown in colour. The cassia cinnamon powder is robust and has a more bitter flavour.

Medicinal properties of cinnamon have only just been recognized in western medicine, though probably known from ancient times in traditional medicine. Benefits include but not limited to:

• Contain high levels of antioxidants
• Anti-inflammatory properties
• May protect against heart disease.
• May increase sensitivity to insulin (help with type 2 diabetes).
• Helps lower blood sugar levels.
• May have beneficial effects on neurodegenerative diseases.
• May protect against cancer.
• May protects against bacterial and fungal infections.
• May have anti-viral properties.

Sri Lanka (Ceylon) has been the major supplier of cinnamon to the world for over millennia. Ceylon cinnamon has been recorded to have been imported to Egypt as early as 2000 years ago, where it was said to have been used to embalm mummies. There are eight endemic Cinnamomum species in Sri Lanka, including Cinnamomum zeylanicum. The 7 other species are wild and, except for one, are threatened, further, many of these are used in indigenous medicine. (Abeysinghe et al, 2021). A substantial amount of literature misleadingly associates “cinnamon” with C. cassia or used as a generalized term for both C. cassia and C. zeylanicum together. This “confusion” does Ceylon cinnamon a considerable disservice (Suriyagoda et al, 2021).

Citations

Abeysinghe, P. D., Bandaranayake, P. C. G., & Pathirana, R. (2021, January 26). Botany of Endemic Cinnamomum Species of Sri Lanka. SpringerLink. Retrieved April 26, 2023, from https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-54426-3_4

Busch, S. (n.d.). What Are the Benefits of Real Cinnamon vs. Fake Cinnamon? LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved April 26, 2023, from https://www.livestrong.com/article/557586-what-are-the-benefits-of-real-cinnamon-vs-fake-cinnamon/

How do you identify real Cinnamon grown in Ceylon: IDENTIFY REAL CINNAMON FROM CASSIA AND YOU WILL NEVER BE FOOLED AGAIN. DruEra Shipped Worldwide Straight From Ceylon. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2023, from https://www.ceylon-cinnamon.com/Identify-Ceylon-Cinnamon.html

Leech, J. (2022, October 13). 10 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Cinnamon. healthline. Retrieved April 26, 2023, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-cinnamon

Ogletree, K. (2020, December 9). I Just Found Out My Cinnamon Might Actually Be Fake—Here’s How to Tell If Yours Is. EatingWell. Retrieved April 26, 2023, from https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7878464/how-to-tell-if-cinnamon-is-fake/

Suriyagoda, L., Mohotti, A. J., Vidanarachchi, J. K., Kodithuwakku, S. P., Chathurika, M., Bandaranayake, P. C. G., Hetherington, A. M., & Beneragama, C. K. (2021, April 8). “Ceylon cinnamon”: Much more than just a spice. New Phytologist Foundation. Retrieved April 26, 2023, from https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ppp3.10192

Varricchio, T., & Christian, E. (2021, March 30). A pound of cinnamon quills can cost $27 — here’s why it’s one of the most expensive spices. Business Insider. Retrieved April 26, 2023, from https://www.businessinsider.com/why-ceylon-cinnamon-sri-lanka-so-expensive-2021-3

© 2023 K-Agriculture. (n.d.). Cassia vs Ceylon cinnamon. 5 “true” spice factors for true life. K Agriculture. Retrieved April 26, 2023, from https://k-agriculture.com/cassia-vs-ceylon-cinnamon-5-true-spice-factors-for-true-life/