Organic Cinnamon Powder Standard Glass Jar 40g - Steenbergs details and description

Steenbergs Organic Cinnamon Powder is a deliciously sweet and fragrant baking spice that comes all the way from Sri Lanka, the pearl of the Orient and home to true organic cinnamon trees rather than cassia cinnamon, which we market as cassia.  Complex and fragrant, Steenbergs organic cinnamon powder has citrus-lemon top notes and a rich buff colour.  Steenbergs Organic Cinnamon Powder is the perfect sprinkle on French toast, rice pudding or fresh fruit.  At Steenbergs, we buy our organic cinnamon usually from small-scale family holdings in Sri Lanka as true cinnamon.

As one of the world's oldest spices, even being used by the Pharoahs, cinnamon comes from tropical, evergreen trees related to bay plants; in fact, cinnamon leaves are used throughout Southern Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine much like the British use bay leaves, but with a more clove-like flavour profile.  Cinnamon trees grow to 8 - 17m tall (25 - 55ft) with a trunk diameter of 30-60cm (12-24 inches).  The cinnamon leaves start a reddy colour, before turning light green then through to a darker, glossy green colouration.  Cinnamon flowers are surprisingly small, pale yellow blossoms.

For processing cinnamon, the first stage is to train the tree by cutting the tree down to a stump 15cm (6 inch) above the ground.  From this stump, up to 6 shoots are encouraged to grow for up to 2 years before harvesting.  Cinnamon spice is prepared by skilled cinnamon peelers, who harvest shoots when they are 1.5m long (5ft) and 3cm in diameter (1 inch).  Taking the cut shoot, the cinnamon peeler removes the outer corky bark, then rubs the stem to remove the paper-thin layer of cinnamon under-bark, which is then cut from the cinnamon shoot.  This moist and citrus-smelling quill is rolled tight before being taken to dry in the warm shade.  The result is a tightly rolled quilling of wafer-thin tan coloured bark, which can then be cut into a range of sizes for the retail customer.  Shavings and trimmings from the cinnamon cutting and peeling process are dried and used to make the powder.  This is the process used in India and Sri Lanka; for the lower quality, coarser cinnamon quills and powder that is often found on retailers' shelves, the source is usually from semi-wild cinnamon trees in the Seychelles.  For more information on cinnamon, check out Wikipedia.

Cinnamon powder has a complex and fragrant citrus flavour that is full of exotic sweetness.  Cinnamon's perfumed aroma is unique but has hints of clove, nutmeg and sandalwood.  Cinnamon is great in sweet baking as well as in savoury foods, such as curries and I love it with duck or lamb simply rubbed onto the outside.  For further inspiration, go to Steenbergs Recipes  or try the BBC Website.

Customer comments:

My favourite spice is cinnamon - it's instant Christmas.

It makes everything smell and taste so good.

My favourite spice is cinnamon because I can use it in everything from cinnamon cookies to orange cinnamon chicken to Caribbean prawns and dozens of sweet & savoury dishes!

Steenbergs organic cinnamon powder is a core part of the Steenbergs retail range of over 400 organic spices, peppers, herbs and flavoured sugars. To check your local Steenbergs stockist please click here, or you can ring us on 01765 640 088, or email us at enquiries@steenbergs.co.uk.