Description of the spice. Composition and calorie content of cassia. Useful properties, harm in case of abuse and contraindications for use. In what dishes are spices used?
Harm and contraindications to cassia
Despite the huge amount of useful substances, the spice can be harmful and has contraindications for use. For this reason, it is recommended to use it in small quantities.
Who should not include Chinese cinnamon in their diet:
- Pregnant and lactating women … This category of people is categorically not allowed to consume cassia, like other spices, because the substances in the composition of the spice stimulate the work of the uterus and can provoke a miscarriage.
- Patients with diseases of the kidneys, liver and pancreas … Overuse of this spice, which contains coumarin, adversely affects these organs.
- People with individual intolerance … The spice can affect the body as an allergen, therefore, if abused, it is quite possible to face the harm of cassia.
- Patients with diarrhea and inflammatory bowel disease … This spice acts as a laxative on the human body, for this reason it cannot be used in the presence of the mentioned health problems.
The consumption rate of cassia per day is approximately 0.1 mg per 1 kg of body weight of an adult. It follows that an adult can use no more than 0.5 teaspoon of spices, and much less for children. And, of course, you can't include it in your diet every day.
Making cassia powder
7-year-old trees are suitable for harvesting bark. It is cut from branches and trunks once every 7-10 years. It is easier to take it off during rainy weather.
The upper layer of the bark is thrown away, but the lower one is cut into strips 15 cm long and 2 cm wide. All pieces are thoroughly dried until they become concave. The spice in the tubes is more than 3 mm thick. Markets and supermarkets sell not only cassia in sticks, but also ground spice. To prepare it, you need to grind well-dried sticks into powder. You need to store the seasoning in a dry, tightly sealed container.
Cassia recipes
The spice is more popular in countries with tropical and subtropical climates. Chefs in China fry it a little before using it, which enhances its aroma and taste. It goes best with bergamot and cardamom. Soups, meat dishes, drinks, jams, fruit salads, marinades, baked goods - this is not the whole list of dishes that are cooked using Chinese cinnamon.
Cassia recipes:
- Cupcake with apples … Rinse 2 apples, peel and cut into cubes. Sprinkle with half a teaspoon of cassia and a quarter cup of sugar. Beat 2 eggs, add 3/4 cup sugar, 0.5 teaspoon cassia and a bag of vanilla sugar (you can use 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence). Pour in 1 glass of kefir. Pour in 2 cups of flour and mix well. Add apples and the dough is ready. We send the form to the oven, temperature - 175 degrees, baking time - 50 minutes.
- Pumpkin gingerbread … The first step is to sift 100 g of flour, add 5 g of salt, 2 g of baking powder and 0.5 teaspoon of cassia. Then mix the ingredients well. After that, pour 60 g of milk into a bowl, beat 1 egg and add 50 g of sugar. Mix everything again. Now grate 100 g of pumpkin. We combine the masses of loose, pumpkin and milk-egg. We knead the dough and use the molds to make gingerbread cookies. We preheat the oven and bake our gingerbread cookies for 20 minutes.
- Oven baked oranges … We wash, peel 2 oranges, divide into slices. Grind 11 walnuts, add 3 tablespoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of cassia to them. Spread the nut mass on the orange slices and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Enjoy your tea!
- Oven baked apples with muesli … First, wash 2 apples, remove the core so as not to touch the bottom of the fruit. Then we make the filling in this way: in a bowl we mix 50 g of muesli, 200 ml of sugar, 0.5 teaspoon each of Chinese cinnamon and ground ginger, 0.25 tsp. salt and 100 g of butter, which must first be melted. We bake in the oven for 40 minutes at a temperature of 180 g.
- Chicken in marinade … Mix 1 cup of vegetable oil with 3 tablespoons of prepared mustard. Add 3 chopped garlic cloves, 0.5 teaspoon of cassia, 3 tablespoons of 6-9% vinegar, pepper and salt to taste, 2-3 lavrushki. Take 1, 5 kg of chicken legs or fillets, fill with marinade and leave in the refrigerator for 1 day. We bake the meat at a temperature of 180 degrees for 40-50 minutes.
- Home brew … Cut into slices of 400 g of white and black bread, dry a little, sprinkle them with 0.5 teaspoon of cloves and 5 g of salt. Put the seasoned bread in a large saucepan, add 5 g of cassia, 300 g of malt. In a separate bowl in 0.5 cups of water (warm), dilute 25 g of yeast. Pour the yeast mass into a saucepan and add 1.5 liters of water. We mix everything, and let this mass stand in the heat for a couple of days. Pour 100 g of hops with boiled water, fry 15 g of sugar until brown. We put both hops and sugar in a saucepan. Add another 4, 25 liters of water and add 28 g of baking soda. Again the mixing procedure, then put it again in a warm place for a day. Strain the beer mixture through cheesecloth and filter through cotton wool. We pour beer into bottles. You can drink our drink after 2 weeks.
- Green tea with milk latte … Mix 1 teaspoon of green tea, 0.5 teaspoon of Chinese cinnamon, the same amount of ground nutmeg and vanillin to taste. We heat 2 cups of milk, pour our loose mass into it, bring to a boil and remove from the stove. Put 0.5 teaspoon of honey in a chilled drink. This milk tea is not only tasty but also healthy.
- Asian pork with tangerines … Cut 1 bell pepper into thin strips. Peel the garlic (2 cloves) and ginger (10 g), cut into cubes. We clean 2 tangerines and remove the white streaks. Heat 3 tablespoons of sesame oil in a frying pan (you can replace it with any other) and fry the pork chopped into pieces (500 g) in it. Remove the finished meat from the pan and fry the pepper in the same place for 5 minutes. Put the pork in the pan again, add 200 g of chili sauce, 1 teaspoon of cassia, 1 teaspoon of ground ginger, salt to taste and 50 g of water. We simmer everything for 5 minutes, send tangerines to the products in a pan and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Our dish is ready. Bon Appetit!
- Creamy pumpkin soup with cream … First, preheat the oven. Take a slice of white bread, about 80 g, and spread it on one side with a mixture of 3 tablespoons of soft butter, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 0.25 teaspoon of cassia. We send this "sandwich" to the oven for 8-10 minutes (inside it should be soft after baking). Cut the bread into 8 squares and set aside. After that, fry 125 g of onion, put it in chicken broth (400 ml) and cook for 10 minutes. In another saucepan, you need to boil 450 g of pumpkin (first rinse it, peel it and cut it into cubes). We send it to a blender and make a homogeneous mass. We shift the pumpkin puree into the broth, add 0.15 teaspoon of ground ginger, the same amount of ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix all the products, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the soup into plates, put slices of bread with cassia and a spoonful of cream (1 glass) on top.
- Italian fried milk … First, you need to boil 750 g of milk, adding the peel of 1 lemon and 5 g of cassia. Remove from heat and leave for 10 minutes. Then we take 250 g of milk and dilute 120 g of starch in it. Beat 2 egg yolks separately and combine them with the milk-starch mass. Remove the lemon peel from the milk and pour 250 g of sugar into it. Also pour in a mass of eggs and starch and cook until thickened. Pour the product into a mold and leave it overnight. In the morning, turn over the dishes with milk cream and cut into pieces. Now we will fry them. To do this, soak the pieces in flour (1 cup), then in an egg (1 piece) and fry in vegetable oil (150 ml). After frying, sprinkle, or even better, roll the pieces in a mixture of cassia (2 tablespoons) and sugar (4 tablespoons).
- Cocktail salad with ham and beans … The first step is to soak the beans in the evening (2 glasses). In the morning we cook it in brackish water. At the same time, finely chop 200 g of ham. Cut the finished and chilled beans into plates. Peel 1 onion, chop. Boil 2 eggs and cut into cubes. Now we are preparing the sauce. To do this, mix 1 tablespoon of water, the same amount of vinegar, 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. In a bowl for salad, mix beans, ham, eggs, onions. Add spices: Chinese cinnamon, ground coriander, black pepper, salt and dill to taste. Season the dish with sauce. Bon Appetit!
Interesting facts about cassia
Since ancient times, people have greatly appreciated the spice and presented it only to monarchs and other rulers. The Chinese began to grow the plant and produce the spice about 4500 years ago.
The ancient Greek historian Herodotus first mentioned the Chinese cinnamon or cassia in his writings. He wrote that the phoenix built its nests from cinnamon and cassia.
During the existence of the Ancient Egyptian civilization, this spice was imported directly from China, it was used for mummification.
In ancient Rome, cassia was used as a ritual plant; it was thrown into a funeral pyre. The fact has survived to this day that Emperor Nero burned a large amount of spice at the funeral of his beloved wife. They say that it would be enough for a whole year. It is also known that the Romans valued it as much as silver.
Europeans started using cassia much earlier than other types of cinnamon. This happened during the reign of Alexander the Great.
How to distinguish cinnamon from cassia - watch the video:
Cassia or Chinese cinnamon, no matter what they call it fake, will help make our dishes tastier and more flavorful. In addition, it will be indispensable in the presence of a number of diseases. It follows that every housewife needs to stock up on this spice. This is not difficult to do, because it is sold in almost all supermarkets.
