How does cinnamon grow in nature?

For sure, even in the school cafeteria, you took yourself a scone with a fragrant spice and already then thought about how the cinnamon grows. In cooking it is used quite often. It grows on evergreen trees up to 15 meters high, belonging to laurel plants.

Places of growth

If you are interested in growing cinnamon in wildlife, you can find out that the plant is most often found in southern India and Sri Lanka. He has oblong-oval leaves about 18 cm long. Bunches of flowers are inflorescences and have a greenish tinge. Unlike the final product, they have an unpleasant odor. Looking at the powder in the bag, you can immediately not understand how the cinnamon looked originally, how it grows, what kind of tree it is.

In fact, it is purple 1 cm in diameter. These plants can be found on the islands of Sumatra and Java, in the west of India, in Vietnam and Brazil, Egypt and Madagascar. But you, of course, want to try the best product. The place where the most expensive cinnamon grows is Sri Lanka. The bark, from which the spice is made here, is very thin and soft, has a brown or light yellow color. She just had a pleasant smell.

Trying to taste it with taste buds, you can note extraordinary softness and sweetness, even warmth. In China, Indonesia and Vietnam, produce false spice - cassia, which is made from the coarser layers of the bark.

Manufacturing technology

This amazing product is brought from distant countries. So how does cinnamon grow? For full maturation and readiness for processing, it takes two years. When about a dozen shoots appear, the top layer is cut off from them and dried. This is how you get the rolls that you could see on the powder packaging.

They are cut into pieces up to 10 cm in length, in the form of which the product also often goes on sale. It is from 6 to 10 layers of thin bark, which form a single stick after it is separated from the trees. Further, drying occurs.

Watching how cinnamon grows in nature, producers usually pay attention to the fact that the bark was thin, because then the fragrance will be the most pleasant. Sticks are stored for a long time, which is acceptable because of the long period of preserving the smell. To determine the quality of the spice, use the ekele - a special unit. The very condition of the sticks after processing and storage is very important, and not just how the cinnamon grows.

Those products that go to Europe for import are considered low-quality, although there are no significant differences to taste. Therefore, a powder form is used for transportation.

Application

After the goods reach the customers, they add it to chocolate and desserts, hard candies, liqueurs, aromatize them with alcohol and teas. In the Middle East, the product is used in the preparation of spicy dishes with chicken or lamb. Asians add it in a mixture with other herbs. Leaves eat those people who can observe personally how the cinnamon grows. Spice for the local population is interesting not only in dried, but also fresh. There are also application options similar to our approach to using bay leaves. Americans add the substance to the fruit and porridge. A good taste combination is obtained with apples.

In Germany they also like to add this spice to sweet, mulled wine or baked goods. It is also an excellent way to make a tasty marinade. Excellent acting as an essential oil, because antioxidant properties of the product and the ability to fight microbes are manifested. It should be remembered that this substance can not be taken uncontrollably. It is often found in cookies, tea, mulled wine, seasonings and yoghurts, and sometimes cosmetics. If you are carrying a child under your heart, it is better not to use essential oils from the bark and flowers of this plant.

History

Peoples who on their land could observe how cinnamon grows often used spices during rituals and holidays. Today in Europe it is associated with Christmas. Her warm smell awakens in the soul all the good and tender.

The bark is harvested at the height of the rainy season, which lasts in May-October. It is very easy to get rid of the tree. Of all the spices, this one can be called one of the oldest, since it was the man who used it first of all.

Mention of it can be seen in manuscripts dating back to 2800 BC. There are data in the Old Testament, according to which, Moses used it in an embalming mixture, because the substance has antibacterial properties. In Rome, this product was attributed to the sacred properties. Nero was burned an annual supply when the Emperor's wife died. It is interesting that he himself deprived her of life and thus wanted to appease the gods, and then it was very expensive pleasure, because at that time 350 grams of cinnamon was estimated at 5 kilograms of silver.

Trade Development

In the Middle Ages, this commodity was also interested. He came to Europe thanks to merchants from the Arab lands, he was very appreciated. When the seafarers set out to seek a waterway to India during the 1400s, their main goal was Christians and spices.

In 1536, researchers from Portugal found brown forests of great density and saw how the cinnamon grows. Photos of such places today can be found on the Internet, but at that time it was a real innovation. It was in Sri Lanka on the islands of Ceylon.

Then began to actively develop trade in this spice, which brought entrepreneurs a lot of money. This business interested Dutch, who first took part of the island, and then won it all. In 1776, interest in the plant was shown by the British, although at that time Ceylon land no longer had a monopoly, because the plantations appeared elsewhere.

Popularity

Today, this product is used on the territory of the entire globe. Entering the Spanish bar, you can order a tonic with gin, from which the stick of this plant will stick. It is added in Fig. Also cinnamon can serve as a substitute for black pepper, when you need to season meat dishes.

At Christmas, the French eat a fragrant biscuit with this spice. It does not suffer from contact with other substances, but on the contrary, with many organically combined. It is added to cardamom, coriander, pepper and cloves, mace and laurel leaves. In India, they produce "garam butter", in other words, called "a mixture of warm spices."

The Chinese prefer combinations with badjan, fennel, as well as cloves, Syrians - with paprika, zira and coriander (the mixture is called "bakharat", it is sprinkled with ram meat).

Beneficial features

Cinnamon is actively used in folk medicine for its excellent properties. It helps with swelling, improves digestive processes. More sellers of medicinal plants in China noticed this effect. You can easily get rid of nausea and diarrhea. Helps in the fight against diabetes, as evidenced by recent studies.

It is also believed that the application of this spice improves the reaction to insulin, the blood sugar level improves, as well as blood circulation. Only by inhaling the marvelous aroma of matter, one can feel that the brain starts to work better.

If you want to keep the fragrance for as long as possible, place the sticks or powder in a container, close it tightly and put it in a dry, cool, dark place. You can leave them for a couple of months. To check the condition of the substance, you need to analyze its smell. It should be sweet, soothing, woody, which indicates freshness.

beauty and health

Also, this spice is credited with useful properties in the fight against excess weight. Some experiments have shown that if you eat ¼ teaspoon of this product before eating, the sugar is better absorbed, its blood level drops. It is because of this that new fat deposits are not formed.

It is advised to use spice as a substitute for sugar. The taste is sweet and natural, and calories are much less. Now this wonderful product is very easy to find, because it is located in almost every store. It will make your dishes taste better, and well-being - better.