[Sca-cooks] Cinnmon

[Suey]

*canela*, *canela de Ceyl**á**n*, Gr. /kinnámomon/, L. /Cinnamomum/ 
/zeylanicum/, Ar. /qurfa/, Heb. /quinamom, /ME /candel, kanel(e)/,**Eng. 
cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon. It is one of the oldest spices known, 
obtained from the bark of the evergreen tree growing in Ceylon (today 
Sri Lanka), Taiwan and Indonesia. Today, it is cultivated as an 
evergreen shrub. It grows in wet areas along sandy riverbanks. During 
the rainy season, the bark is stripped off easily in single strips. It 
is then rolled and left to dry in the shade and then put in the sun. If 
ground the flavor is immediately lost. The Arabs imported Ceylon 
cinnamon to the Mediterranean where it was worth more than gold and 
essential for food flavoring, as seen in Al-Andalus dishes. It was used 
to flavor all types of foods, pickles, relishes and preserves. 
Medicinally, it has antiseptic properties and stimulated digestive and 
gastric juices. [Cambridge. 2000:II:1757; _Curye_. 1985:175; ES: 
Collins. Apr 1, 96; and Simonetti. 1991:36]

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>     1. Re: Cinnamon Question (galefridus at optimum.net)
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> Most of the medieval Islamic sources distinguish between the two. Cassia (Chinese cinnamon) is dar sini, and Ceylon cinnamon is qirfa.
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> -- Galefridus
Suey


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