The difference between cinnamon and cinnamon

Cinnamon bark and cinnamon bark are both common spices and condiments. They are not the same ingredient and the difference between them is quite obvious. Cinnamon bark belongs to cassia bark, also called fragrant cinnamon or official cinnamon. It is often used as a spice and as a condiment for stewed meat in Chinese cuisine. It is also one of the main ingredients of five-spice powder. It also has certain medicinal value. Let us learn about it below.

The difference between cinnamon and cinnamon

1: What is cinnamon:

Cinnamon is an evergreen tree belonging to the Lauraceae family. Also known as cinnamon and osmanthus. The bark, young branches (cassia twigs), flower buds and fruits are commonly used in Chinese medicine. It is mainly produced in Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan, Fujian and other places in China. It is also distributed in other parts of tropical Asia.

Cinnamon bark, also known as cinnamon, official cinnamon or fragrant cinnamon, is a general name for the bark of plants of the Lauraceae family, such as Cinnamon bark, Cinnamon bark, Cinnamon bark or Cinnamon bark. This product is a commonly used Chinese medicine and also a food spice or cooking seasoning. The original plants of commercial cinnamon are relatively complex, with about ten species, all of which are plants of the genus Cinnamomum in the family Lauraceae. There are 8 species commonly used in various places, among which the main ones are osmanthus, cinnamon, cinnamon and south China cinnamon, while other species are mostly used as regional medicines. Various varieties were used as spices in ancient Western countries. It is used in Chinese cuisine to flavor stews and is one of the ingredients in five-spice powder.

2. What is cinnamon

Cinnamon bark is stripped from the stems and branches, left to dry, and then rolled into rolls. Some varieties are scraped. The scraped bark is thin and bright reddish brown, while the unscraped bark is thick and gray. Cinnamon powder is light reddish brown. The aroma of Chinese cinnamon is slightly inferior to that of Vietnamese and Indonesian cinnamon. All three are aromatic, sweet and spicy. Vietnamese cinnamon (Saigon cinnamon) has the best texture. The immature fruits of Cinnamon bark and C. loureirii are adnate in a hard, wrinkled, gray-brown cup-shaped calyx, usually 11 mm (0.4 in.), including the calyx tube; the upper part is about 6 mm (0.25 in.) in diameter. When the calyx tube is removed and dried, it is called cinnamon bud. It has a cinnamon-like aroma and the sweet and spicy taste of cinnamon bark, and is used for food seasoning.

【Plant morphology】 Evergreen tree, fragrant. The bark is gray-brown, and the young branches are four-sided and covered with gray-yellow hairs. Leaves are alternate or nearly opposite, leathery, oblong to nearly lanceolate, mucronate at apex, cuneate at base, green and shiny above, with three veins from the base; petiolate. Inflorescence axillary; tepals 6, white; fertile stamens 9, 3 whorls, inner whorl of filaments with 2 glands at base, ovary ovate. The berries are purple-black, oval, with a shallow cup-shaped receptacle. The flowering period is from June to August, and the fruiting period is from October to February to March of the following year.