Why is cinnamon spicy?
Cinnamon is accompanied by so many questions like why is cinnamon spicy? is cinnamon good for you and is cinnamon sweet or spicy among many other questions. In the article, I will be sharing with you all about ‘spicy’ facts about cinnamon that you might be wondering about.
Is cinnamon spicy? To jump right into the first question, yes cinnamon is spicy but not in the same way as hot sauce or chili peppers or even black peppers. Chili peppers are spicy because they contain a large amount of capsaicin unlike black peppers which do not while cinnamon contains a very small amount of capsaicin.
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Why is cinnamon spicy?
Cinnamon is spicy mainly because the main flavor of cinnamon comes from the aromatic compound “cinnamaldehyde” which is described as tasting like spicy “red hot” or “atomic fireball” candy. This in addition to the small amount of capsaicin makes it spicy.
Botanically, cinnamon is a member of the Lauraceae (laurel family). There are four main species of cinnamon sold throughout the world for culinary purposes:
McCormick Science Institute
Common Name(and alternate names)… Primarily grown in… Botanical Name(and alternate)… Indonesian (Korintje) Indonesia, specifically the island of Sumatra Cinnamomum burmannii(Cassia vera) Vietnamese (Saigon) Vietnam. Also Southern China and Laos Cinnamomum loureirii Ceylon (Sri Lankan, *True) Sri Lanka, Southern India, and Madagascar Cinnamomum zeylanicum(Cinnamomum verum) Chinese (Cassia) China and Vietnam Cinnamomum cassia(Cinnamomum aromaticum)
How hot is Cinnamon on the scale?
The best way to quantify how spicy cinnamon is or any other food ingredient is through Scoville rating (SHU).Therefore the score rating of cinnamon on the Scoville rating is……zero! Why? This is because the Scoville Heat Units measures the level of capsaicin and in this case, cinnamon only contains a very small amount of it.
Therefore, even though cinnamon is most definitely spicy, it does not rank highly on the Scoville scale because of the whole capsaicin thing.
Is cinnamon spicy or sour?
As I mentioned earlier, there are different types if cinnamon grown from various parts of the world. Therefore, there is a type of cinnamon that is relatively sweet while another type is hot because of the essential oil and harvest parts from the different kinds of cinnamon.
The main 2 types of cinnamon
There are main two types of cinnamon that include;
“True cinnamon” Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum Verum)
Ceylon cinnamon that is commonly referred to as “true cinnamon” comes from Sri Lanka and is harvested from the inner bark of the Cinnamomum verum tree. It has a lower composition of the cinnamon phytochemical and is therefore sweet tasting.
“Fake cinnamon” Cassia cinnamon (Cinnamomum aromaticum)
Cassia cinnamon is what most people refer to as “fake cinnamon” and comes from the southern part of China. It is cheaper and widely available in the United States and other parts of the world therefore why it is more used because of its price point. Cassia cinnamon is spicy in taste.
How to reduce cinnamon’s spice
If you added a bit too much in your food, the best way to reduce the spicy taste is by either scooping it up if not incorporated with other ingredients of adding milk to reduce the level of spiciness from the cinnamon.
Health Benefits of Cinnamon Spice?
Cinnamon has numerous benefits as a spice and is also an amazing staple ingredient in numerous recipes.
Here are some benefits of consuming cinnamon:
- Adds great flavor and taste to food
- It can be incorporated in numerous dishes
- Act as an anti-inflammatory agent
- Has amazing antioxidant properties
- Has amazing antibacterial and antimicrobial properties
Why is cinnamon spicy?
Description
Is cinnamon spicy? To jump right into the first question, yes cinnamon is spicy but not in the same way as hot sauce or chili peppers or even black peppers. Chili peppers are spicy because they contain a large amount of capsaicin unlike black peppers which do not while cinnamon contains a very small amount of capsaicin.
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