ol_ironstomach Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 What the hell is this? Reusing cinnamon sticks? This reminds me of something I learned from TV recently: that most, if not nearly all, of the cinnamon sticks sold in the US are actually cassia, and not "true" cinnamon. In the rest of the world, they are clearly distinct ingredients, but for some reason the FDA allows cassia (a cheaper spice) to be sold as cinnamon. In antiquity, there were actually four distinct and recognized forms of cinnamon and cassia. FWIW, true cinnamon, cinnamomum zeylanicum, aka Ceylon cinnamon, can be had from Penzeys alongside the imposters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 This reminds me of something I learned from TV recently: that most, if not nearly all, of the cinnamon sticks sold in the US are actually cassia, and not "true" cinnamon. In the rest of the world, they are clearly distinct ingredients, but for some reason the FDA allows cassia (a cheaper spice) to be sold as cinnamon. In antiquity, there were actually four distinct and recognized forms of cinnamon and cassia.FWIW, true cinnamon, cinnamomum zeylanicum, aka Ceylon cinnamon, can be had from Penzeys alongside the imposters. That's like saying marjoram is an imposter to oregano. The commonly available species of Cinnamomun are similar yet distinct (like both species of Origanum), therefore each can be appreciated for its own qualities. "True" and "imposter" are just words. I've been playing around with both for awhile now, and can honestly say that while Ceylon cinnamon tastes different, it doesn't always better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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