September 29: Cinnamon

I found out today that the spice, Cinnamon, comes from a tree. I overheard my wife explaining to my daughter that cinnamon is not from a nut, but a tree. Not really surprising, I suppose, but I guess I never really thought about its origin. As if it were made by cinnamon elves in the forest, bottled and magically displayed on grocery shelves across the world. Anyway, what I've learned is that cinnamon is from the inner bark of a genus of trees called cinnamomum. The spice is harvested by growing the tree for two years and then coppicing it. The following year, new shoots form from the roots of the tree. The outer bark is scraped and the branches beaten evenly to loosen the inner bark. The inner bark is then extracted out in long rolls. Only the thinnest inner bark is used. The outer, woody portion is discarded, leaving cinnamon strips that curl into rolls when dried. Once dry, the bark is cut into feasible lengths for sale. I also learned that cinnamon offers tremendous health benefits such as lowering cholesterol and increasing your memory. And, if that's not enough, there's even a well-known physical competition based on the spice called the Cinnamon Challenge. I haven't tried it yet personally, but I am considering adding it to my bucket list. Right up there with swimming with sharks.