A Cinnamon tree with the lower portion stripped exposing the cinnamon spice. How amazing!
There is so much cool stuff about cinnamon!
It is an ancient spice that comes from a huge tree in Sri Lanka!
- Cinnamon is an aromatic (“nice-smelling”) spice that comes from the inner bark of trees in Southeast Asia, mainly Sri Lanka. Imagine being the person who first found this awesome-smelling cinnamon tree, probably by accident! What amazing things our world has to offer!
- This tree can grow 60 feet tall!
- When cinnamon is harvested, it begins as a flat strip peeled from the tree’s inner bark, as it dries out, it curls into the cinnamon sticks we recognize for grating or stirring our hot cocoa.
- Cinnamon sticks are also called “quills”, like the spikes that porcupines have!
- The cinnamon bun was invented in Sweden!
- October 4th is National Cinnamon Roll Day!
Name Dropping Time!!
The CINNABON company was started in 1985 in Seattle. The owners hired my good friend’s mom, Jerilyn Brusseau, to finalize the recipe, since she was famous for her baking in the Seattle area!!
So kids, get baking! You never know when one of you will create the next CINNABON!!
Scientifically cool stuff about CINNAMON!
There are two main types of cinnamon – Ceylon cinnamon and Cassia cinnamon.
Ceylon
- Considered “true” cinnamon. More “gourmet”.
- Native to Sri Lanka.
- More expensive. The Spicely Ceylon Cinnamon Sticks below were $13.99 and the McCormick Cassia Cinnamon Sticks below were $5.29.
- Better for sweet foods like cinnamon rolls because it cooks up more gooey!
Cassia
- This is the type Americans are used to.
- It comes mostly from China.
- Contains high levels of the toxin “coumarin” which makes it dangerous in very high levels.
- In 2016, there was a TikTok challenge where people tried to eat large quantities of cinnamon in one sitting and it made them seriously sick, often throw-up and cry! Don’t do it!! But a teaspoon in your cocoa is just fine!
CEYLON cinnamon (left) is considered “true” cinnamon from Sri Lanka. Americans are used to CASSIA cinnamon (right) which comes mostly from China.
Historically cool stuff about CINNAMON!
- Cinnamon was first used around 2000 BC in ancient Egypt, maybe earlier. It was used to make drinks more yummy!
- It was also used to embalm mummies!
- It was also used in the Middle Ages (times of castles and knights), to treat colds and sore throats. It calms inflammation in the body and it kills certain bacteria on the spot! So it was really useful not just to eat and drink but to keep people healthy!
- It was one of the first traded spices in the ancient world.
- Cinnamon was considered so valuable during this time it was worth as much as gold. It was a great gift for kings, queens and the gods worshipped by ancient civilizations of Egypt and Greece.
- Today, the essential oil of cinnamon bark (I like Doterra oils), is used for many things. A few drops mixed with water in a spray bottle can protect your garden! It kills mosquito larvae and other buggers, so think of cinnamon as an environmentally friendly pesticide.
- Try adding a few drops to your sunscreen or lotion and you have a natural insect repellant!
Hilarious cool stuff about CINNAMON!
Jill’s Jokes!
I asked my dog for a synonym for Cinnamon…
He said BARK!
What did the cinnamon say to the paprika when he arrived at his house???
“May I cumin?”
My son gets to play a frosted cinnamon biscuit in the school play.
It’s a sweet role!!
ENJOY YOUR CINNAMON TREATS KIDDOS!!
Here are some recipes that are fun and easy to make AND use CINNAMON!
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