Cassia |
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Somewhat confushingly, the spice commonly sold in Southeast Asia a cinnamon is not true cinnamon (C. zeylanciaum) but cassia, from a related species. True cinnamon, the dried, bark of a tree native to Sri Lanka, consists of tightly rolled thin quills, pale reddish-brown in colour, with a delicate fragrance and sweet flavour. True cinnamon is almost never used in Southeast Asia, where the bark of the cassia is now grown. Cassia is native to China, where it is used in some beef dishes. Cassia bark is dark brown, thicker and more strongly flavoured than true cinnamon, and it is also very much cheaper. Whole pieces of cassia hark are used in some regional cuisines, generally with meat or rice. If powdered cinnamon is required, pieces of hark should be broken and then ground freshly in a coffee mill or spice grinder as commercial cinnamon powder quickly loses its fragrance. Both cassia and cinnamon are used medicinally, while the leaves of the cinnamon tree are used in some Indian dishes | ||||||||
