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Last updated: November 01. 2006 4:08PM
MAIN INGREDIENT
The secret life of cinnamon
But there’s more to him. In fact, the cinnamon in your cupboard right now is – most likely – an imposter.
Instead of Ceylon cinnamon, also called true cinnamon, what you probably have is cassia.
But before you get angry and throw him out, consider how good cassia has treated you all these years. In fact, cassia and Ceylon cinnamon are culinary brothers. They both come from the bark of tropical evergreen trees.
Cassia passes off as cinnamon in several countries, including the United States. And, truth be known, “real” cinnamon is a little wimpy compared to cassia.
So, go on, and celebrate the flavor in all his forms.
Robert Collins, one of the owners of Stone Ground Baking Company in downtown Wilmington, said the aroma is really what makes cinnamon so special. The scent has been linked to sexual attraction and homey-ness. Although it’s used in lots of products at the bakery for scent and flavor, the dark spice accentuates the tell-tale shape of The Butterhorn, as it swirls through the flaky pastry.
(Butterhorns, $2 each at Stone Ground)
Cinnamon has been catching on with natural health aficionados for its ability to help regulate blood sugar levels. But here it takes on a more traditional role – to help freshen breath. For those looking for something a little more interesting than simply mint flavor, Desert Essence uses the flavor in an all-natural toothpaste.
Just don’t get carried away.
($4.99 at The Health Nut in Hampstead)
The local cookie and snack company Goodness Gracie started with a simple toffee cookie, but has added other products since its founding in the mid-’90s. It wasn’t long before cinnamon took a starring role in the Sensational Cinnamon-Toffee Cookies. The goodies are available at several local specialty shops and by mail order (www.goodnessgracie.com).
($6.95 at Temptations Gourmet Foods in Wilmington)
Cinnamon bear is a subspecies of the black bear. It’s also a kind of gummi bear made by Jelly Belly Co. And it’s the name of a character on the mid-20th century holiday radio drama, Paddy O’Cinnamon. (He’s the one who had shoe-button eyes and a green scarf.) But this ultra soft and snugly model is just a teddy bear, in a cinnamon color, made by Aurora.
($19.95 at The Zoo Toys & Trains in downtown Wilmington)
These homemade lollipops are available in two cinnamon flavors – cinnamon and
red-hot cinnamon (which will really help you breathe better, according to the folks at Brunswick Candy Co. in Southport). And although the ones pictured below are a traditional red to hint at the taste, you can get them in a variety of colors, from yellow to purple to blue, and in a variety of shapes.
(70 cents each at Brunswick Candy Co. on North Howe Street in Southport)
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