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Friday 18 April 2014

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is the inner bark or rind of  the Laurus cinnamomum tree, which is allied to the laurel.

Cinnamon was first referenced in the Bible in Exodus when God was speaking to Moses on top of Mount Sinai.

In Ancient Rome Cinnamon was considered more valuable than silver and gold.


Cinnamon is a preservative, and was used for this purpose by embalmers in ancient Egypt.

In a show of honor the  Romans burned a year's supply of cinnamon at the funeral for Nero's wife.

The spice was supplied to the Romans by Arab traders who protected their business interests by deliberately shrouding its source in mystery. They spread fantastic tales that cinnamon is grown in deep valleys swarming with poisonous snakes.

With the ascendancy of the western European nations in the Oriental spice trade during the later Middle Ages, cinnamon was used by the richer classes to camouflage bad flavors and odours and make food increasingly delectable .

Cinnamon was used to make the spiced wine, claret, in the Middle Ages.

Research shows that eating cinnamon cools your body by up to two degrees and maintains the integrity of the stomach wall.

In Denmark, if you are unmarried at 25, you'll get cinnamon thrown all over you on your birthday.

In India, cinnamon is commonly used in making flavoured tea. It is known as "Daal-Cheeni" in Hindi.

In Finland, cinnamon rolls are called "korvapuusti," which can be translated as "slapped ears."

Source Food For Thought by Ed Pearce

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