Cinnamon: Whole-Food Guides
Cinnamon is a spice made from the dried inner bark of the Cinnamomum tree. Typically, you find cinnamon in the stick and powder form.
Common in Jamaica, the leaves of the cinnamon tree can be used in cooking. Welcome back to another whole-food guide blog post. In this post we are going to talk about the differences between cinnamon powder and cinnamon stick, how you can use each one, and the two popular species of cinnamon.
There are several species of cinnamon with Cassia and Ceylon cinnamon being the most popular.
Cassia – Cassia is the top commercial species of cinnamon. The strong flavor is most useful in baking.
Ceylon – Ceylon sometime referred to as “true cinnamon” is not common as it`s more popular species, Cassia.
Cinnamon Powder
Cinnamon powder is a ground spice made from the inner bark of the cinnamon tree. This form of cinnamon is what you will use in baking and most recipes rather than the cinnamon bark itself. The powder is easier to incorporate and packs a rich, sweet flavor.
Here are a few recipes that call for cinnamon powder in the ingredient list:
Cinnamon Stick
Cinnamon Stick is the actual bark form of cinnamon, that is why you might see some cinnamon stick labels as cinnamon bark. The difference might be in the shape.
The sticks made from Cassia cinnamon looks like rolled cinnamon rolls while the stick made from Ceylon cinnamon resembles shredded wood or quills.
Cinnamon sticks are typically used when there is boiling involved in the cooking process. Boiling the cinnamon sticks releases the natural flavor using heat which thoroughly infuses the liquid.
FUN FACT: Cinnamon was more valuable than gold!!!
Cinnamon is used in both sweet and savory cooking, so don`t be alarmed if you see cinnamon as one of the ingredients in a savory spice blend.
Cinnamon is know to lower blood sugar and blood pressure levels.
Which form of cinnamon do you use most often? For me, I use both interchangeably depending on what I am cooking. For baking I mainly use cinnamon powder, except for Cornmeal Pudding where I like to throw in 2 sticks for extra flavor. For porridges like oatmeal, cornmeal, or teff I also prefer to boil in the cinnamon stick with the milk. Cinnamon stick is one of the ingredients in cold Sorrel Juice or hot Sorrel Tea.
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