Many of us know cinnamon as a spice that gives food and drink a special flavor. But did you know that cinnamon was once valued more than gold, that it has long been used as a medicine all over the world, and did you know that cinnamon is divided into “true” and “false”?
It is the “real” cinnamon called Ceylon cinnamon, extracted in Sri Lanka from the bark of the evergreen cinnamomum zeylanicum tree. The bark of the tree is peeled while the tree is young. The bark is then dried. When dry, it curls and only then is the cinnamon cut. And another cinnamon on the market is called Chinese cassia canamon. It is much cheaper than real cinnamon, but it is high in coumarin, a natural toxin that can be harmful to the liver.
When choosing cinnamon sticks, note that the sticks of real cinnamon will be a little thinner and you will see several layers of peel, and the bark of cassia cinnamon sticks will be thicker and you will not see the layers, the stick itself will be harder and not have that strong aroma.