Top 26 Funky & Spicy Facts About Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice we all take for granted.
From food and drink to medicine, cinnamon is a very versatile and ancient product – with some claiming civilizations using it over 4,000 years ago.
Cinnamon can be used for an array of illnesses and is by far one of my favorite sweet flavorings in the world.
Here we’re going to look at 26 facts about this wondrous product.
- The average cinnamon tree grows to a whopping 60 feet in height.
- The cinnamon stick is also known as a quill due to its thin straight appearance.
- Cinnamon may actually be one of the oldest spices in the world. In the Bible it is mentioned in Exodus 30:23, Proverbs 7:17 and revelation 18:13 to name just a few.
- In Ancient Egypt, cinnamon was a highly prized ingredient that was at one point valued more than gold, much in the way saffron is today. It was used in an array of different processes, from food and drink to even an embalming agent.
- The bark of cinnamon is one of the few spices that can be consumed in its raw state.
- Cinnamon, according to Chinese medicine can be used as a way of treating a wide range of ailments including nausea and colds.
- ‘The Cinnamon Challenge’ was a social media trend hitting the world in 2016, it involved consuming (or attempting to consume) a spoonful of cinnamon. It ended in tears, sickness and pain.
- Cinnamon is actually a natural anti-inflammatory acting as this by blocking the release of arachidonic acid a fatty acid that causes inflammation. This arachidonic acid can also cause blood clotting.
- Cinnamon can potentially be deadly, with consumption of the spice having to be monitored or potentially risking an overdose of a toxin Coumarin. This toxin only exists in Cassia cinnamon.
- Annually, the production of cinnamon is a staggering 27,500 to 35,000 tons!
- Sri Lanka produce around 90% of the cinnamomum verum (cinnamon variety) used across the world.
- Cinnamomum Verum grown in Sri-Lanka comes in 4 different varieties or scales, ranging from Alba through to Continental and Mexican, and finally Hamburg.
- The cinnamon bun is a Swedish invention that swept the U.S. ever since the 1950’s. The product is actually dated back to the 1920’s.
- The biggest cinnamon bun ever was a whopping 118.8kg (almost 19 stone) and was created in Washington, US on the 10th February 2006.
- Cinnamon is supposedly helpful in the fight against degenerative brain disorders like Alzheimer’s as it activates protective proteins that help stop mutation and damage to cells.
- A year’s supply of cinnamon was actually burned at the funeral of Roman Emperor Nero’s wife after he killed her as a way of showing his remorse.
- Ceylon produces that much cinnamon that in the 17th Century the Portuguese and the Dutch started a war over the island.
- Cinnamons flavor strength actually comes from the chemicals cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic aldehyde.
- An oil extracted from cinnamon, eugenol, has been used as a local anesthetic and antiseptic by dentists.
- Spanish researchers have managed to develop a paper that keeps bread fresher for longer, possibly even up to 10 days, with cinnamon oil.
- Use of cinnamon sticks can actually lead to mouth ulcers and gum swelling, which makes me question its antiseptic properties for dentists.
- Cinnamon contains 100 times more TE or Trolox equivalents than Apples; this is the measurement of Oxygen radical absorbance.
- October 4th is actually the National Cinnamon Roll day in Sweden.
- Coli 0157 is an awful bacterium that can actually be defeated almost 100% by cinnamon. An American study found 99.5% of the bug was killed when added to a teaspoon of cinnamon at room temperature in 3 days.
- Pepsi-Fire is a new fireball-whiskey-like creation from the soft drink giant. The cinnamon flavored beverage is supposedly horrendous with some describing it as “unexpected and not in a good way”.
- In 2017 a cat took the internet by storm when it was recorded attempting to steal a full sized cinnamon bun.
Whether you hate it or love it, cinnamon is a hard-hitting health ally fighting off everything from a common cold to brain degrading illnesses.
The humble brown stick can it seems, flavor your porridge and cure you.
