Calorie content and composition of ground cinnamon. What benefits can a delicious spice bring to the body? Why some people are better off not adding it to their food. The use of spices in cooking. In ancient times, the spice was especially appreciated for its antiseptic properties. Cinnamon powder was used to treat wounds to disinfect damaged tissue, prevent inflammation, and prevent infection from entering the bloodstream. Of course, today hardly anyone resorts to this recipe, because there are various pharmaceutical preparations for disinfecting wounds. However, if you are injured, and there is no modern antiseptic at hand, use a natural one, which, for sure, can be found in your kitchen.
Harm and contraindications to ground cinnamon
Cinnamon, as you can see, is an extremely healthy product, but not all people are destined to experience the beneficial effects of the spice. The fact is that in the presence of certain diseases, this spice is contraindicated.
So, who should limit the use of cinnamon:
- People suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system, including hypertensive patients;
- Pregnant women - cinnamon can provoke uterine contractions and, as a result, miscarriage;
- Allergy sufferers - the spice causes unpleasant symptoms of one nature or another with individual intolerance to the components.
Spice should also be added with caution to food for those who have blood clotting disorders or diseases that are manifested by bleeding, since cinnamon thins the blood.
In the presence of chronic diseases that require a strict diet, it is also worth consulting with your doctor before adding a spice to your diet.
And, of course, it should be borne in mind that the abuse of the spice can lead to negative consequences. With its excessive use, there is a headache, weakness, absent-mindedness, etc.
Cinnamon contains a small amount of a harmful substance - coumarin, it negatively affects the liver. The Ceylon spice contains less of it than the Chinese one. However, one way or another, for this reason, it is better not to give food with cinnamon of any kind to young children. For adults, if the spice is not abused, no negative effect will be observed. Unfortunately, in our country, Ceylon cinnamon on the supermarket shelf is a rarity, and even if it appears on it, it costs much more than Chinese cinnamon. However, saving on your health is not worth it, and if you have the opportunity to buy a spice straight from Sri Lanka, do not miss the moment.
Ground cinnamon recipes
Cinnamon is loved all over the world, and even in Russian kitchens, in which spices are not used very actively, there was a place for it. A unique alluring aroma, sweet-tart taste - the spice is in perfect harmony with baked goods and other confectionery products. However, it finds its application in savory dishes; in Asia, the spice is actively used in the preparation of meat and poultry. Cinnamon is a component of the famous spice mixtures of curry and garam masala. It is added to marinades when preserving mushrooms and vegetables. Cinnamon in drinks is a separate story; the spice in coffee made with the addition of milk "sounds" especially good. Also, the spice goes well with sweet cereals and curd dishes.
In general, the use of ground cinnamon in recipes is a big field for imagination. However, if you want to cook one of the signature dishes, choose something from the list below:
- Cinnabon Classic Buns … Combine slightly warmed milk (200 ml) and dry yeast (standard bag). Pour in eggs, beaten in a separate container (2 pieces), add sugar (90 grams), vanilla sugar (15 grams), softened butter (100 grams) - it is important that it is softened, not melted and liquid. If you forgot to get it out of the refrigerator in advance, use the microwave. Now we salt the dough (0.5 teaspoon) and begin to slowly introduce flour (4 cups), first stir with a spoon, then start kneading the dough with our hands. Sometimes you need less flour, sometimes more, but do not overdo it, otherwise the buns will turn out to be tough. Cover the prepared dough with a towel and place in a warm place for 40-50 minutes. In the meantime, go for the icing: combine cream cheese (200 grams), softened butter (30 grams), icing sugar (300 grams). Roll out the dough into a layer 3-5 mm thick, brush with melted butter (50 grams), sprinkle generously with sugar (150-200 grams) and cinnamon (6 tablespoons). Roll the dough into a tight roll, cut into pieces and form a "rose" out of each. Send the buns to the oven for half an hour, temperature 160 degrees. Pour icing on hot buns.
- Tomato Maghreb Soup … Chop finely red onion (1 piece), fry it in olive oil or vegetable oil in a saucepan for 3-5 minutes. Add finely grated ginger root (20 grams), cumin (1/4 teaspoon), cinnamon (1/4 teaspoon). Fry for a couple more minutes, there should be a strong aroma of spices in the air, but make sure that nothing burns out. Finely chop the tomatoes (1 kg) - ideally they should be peeled and seed-free - and add them to the spiced onion. Then pour in chicken broth (1 liter) or any other, just water will do. Add honey (1 teaspoon), finely chopped parsley (small bunch), salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the soup for 5-7 minutes. This dish is usually served cold, but no one forbids eating the soup warm. Just before serving, be sure to add a tablespoon of lemon juice and some fresh herbs.
- Chicken with saffron and nuts … Divide the legs (2 kg) into thighs and drumsticks, season with salt and pepper. Pour boiling water over the saffron (50 grams), after 2-3 minutes add the ginger root grated on a fine grater (30 grams) to it. Prepare the marinade: pour the meat with a spicy infusion, add lemon juice (2 pieces). Mix everything thoroughly. You need to marinate meat for at least 20 minutes, maximum - a day. Put the chicken with the marinade on a baking sheet, bake for 40 minutes at 200 degrees. Grind the pistachios (50 grams) in a mortar, remove the meat from the oven and sprinkle with chopped nuts, send back for another 5 minutes. Chicken is best served with fresh herbs and rice.
- French toast … Cut the apple (1 piece) into strips. Melt the butter (20 grams) in a saucepan and transfer the chopped fruit to it. Add sugar (2 teaspoons), cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon), simmer until the apples are tender. Beat an egg (2 pieces), dip slices of white bread in it (4 pieces) and fry on both sides in the same pan in which the apples were stewed. Top the toasted toast with the spicy, sweet apple filling.
- Festive coffee … In a saucepan, combine sugar (100 grams), cinnamon (1/4 teaspoon), cocoa (1/4 teaspoon), cover with water (70 ml). Bring to a boil and simmer for a minute. Add the resulting aromatic mixture to coffee brewed according to your favorite recipe - select the proportions to taste. Garnish each cup of coffee with whipped cream.
Soups, hot dishes, desserts, drinks - cinnamon is ready to transform the taste of any dish. However, it is not necessary to cook sophisticated dishes, you can add spice to your morning porridge or coffee to taste. And healthy food fans can use this spice to add new flavors to smoothies and fruit salads. In general, no one limits your imagination. Just remember that, as we said above, you should not abuse it.
Interesting facts about ground cinnamon
The spice is obtained in a very interesting way. The cinnamon tree is grown for two years, then it is cut down and … thrown away. Cinnamon will be made from young shoots that will appear on the hemp remaining after the felling next year. The spice is made only from the inner layer of the bark, but recently you can find very cheap so-called "Indonesian cinnamon" on supermarket shelves - the outer layer of the bark is also used for its preparation. We do not recommend buying such a spice, since the percentage of the aforementioned harmful coumarin is very high in it.
Cinnamon is considered one of the oldest spices known to the world and was highly prized in antiquity. In ancient China, spice in the truest sense of the word was worth its weight in gold. For one gram of spice, a gram of gold was given. Fortunately, it is more readily available today. Of course, only the rich could afford the spice. The most famous people not only ate cinnamon, but also used it to flavor their homes. For a long time, only the Arabs traded in spice, while they tried in every possible way to discourage other peoples from getting the spice on their own, composing various myths. At first, the merchants said that she had to be taken from the clutches of terrible monsters. When Aristotle's student Theophrastus discovered that cinnamon was made from the bark of trees, the stories changed. Now the Arabs were convinced that trees grow in forests, where poisonous snakes and insects are everywhere, the bites of which are fatal.
In 1505, the European navigator Lorenzo de Alma came to Ceylon, where he discovered an impressive plantation of cinnamon trees. This fact became the reason why Sri Lanka fell into colonial slavery. Cinnamon was previously used not only in cooking, medicine and cosmetology, but also in mystical rituals. With its help, they summoned spirits, purified the mind and soul. Also, the spice was added to amulets, which attracted money, health and love to the owners.
Today, at traditional tea parties held by prestigious universities (Oxford and Cambridge), one of the signature delicacies is cinnamon croutons. Watch a video about cinnamon:
Cinnamon is a unique spice, perhaps the only widely known spice with a sweet-pungent taste. However, its value lies not only in taste. The spice is extremely useful and helps to fight really serious diseases. However, one must not forget about contraindications and do not abuse cinnamon.
