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Ground Indonesian Korintje Cinnamon
Indonesian Korintje cinnamon, Cinnamomum burmannii, is the type of cassia cinnamon that we in the US are probably most familiar with. Every part of the cinnamon tree can be used for something -- including the roots, bark, leaves, buds and flowers. Cassia cinnamon is native to Southern China. The dried scented bark of Cassia cinnamon is sold as whole sticks (also called "quills"), chips or most commonly ground.Depending on where it's grown cassia cinnamon contains between .9% and 7% essential oil. Korintje cinnamon is typically between .9% and 3%. The essential oil is primarily cinnamic aldehyde (65% to 95%).
Indonesian cinnamon is called shan yue gui (Mandarin), shiwanikei (Japanese), falsa cunforeira (Portuguese) and canela de java (Spanish). It's also known as Korintje, Padang or cassia vera.
History
The word cinnamon has been used since the 14th century and is derived from Old French "cinnamone" which comes from Latin "cinnamum" or "cinnamomum" which was borrowed from Greek "kinnamomon" which Etymologists believed came from the Phoenicians who used it as a variation of the Hebrew word "qinnamon".Cinnamon is one of the oldest known spices in the world and was imported to Egypt from China around 2000 BC. The first Greek reference to "kasia" is found in a 7th century BC Greek poem by Sappho. Sweet cinnamon (Ceylon) was mentioned in the Bible, Exodus 30:23-4. The 5th century Greek historian Herodotus writes of India as being the source of cassia.
During the Middle Ages, the originating source of cinnamon was purposely kept a mystery to most of Europe by the Arabs to keep the price as high as possible. The Arabs were responsible for transporting cinnamon and cassia into Alexandria in Egypt where is was purchased by Italian Venetian traders who controlled the European market for spices at the time. This lucrative trade market lasted until the 1500's when the Ottoman Empire came to power in what is modern day Turkey and disrupted the fabled Silk Road trade routes. This led Europe, especially the Portuguese and Spanish, to start looking for alternate sea based routes to Asia for cassia and other spices.
Cultivation
Most Indonesian cassia is cultivated from wild grown trees and the highest quality cinnamon bark comes from trees that are at least 15-25 years old. During the harvest, farmers cut down the cassia trees and remove the bark in approximately 36" pieces. The lowest 3' from the base of the tree has the greatest concentration of flavor as well as the thickest bark. The general rule of thumb, in regards to optimum flavor, is the higher up the tree, the thinner and less flavorful is the bark.The 3' long pieces are dried in the sun for several days, which causes the bark to curl into quills which are then separated by bark thickness, color and intact pieces. They're then packaged for export.
While the production of cassia cinnamon has gone on the thousands of years in Indonesia the future of this process looks somewhat perilous as sustainability of the market is under attack. This is because during harvest the entire tree is cut down and because of this replanting has always been critical. More recently cassia farmers have increasingly been making the decision not to replant cassia trees. This strategic business decision has been derived from two significant factors, the first is higher labor production costs and the second is the reality that planting cocoa, coffee, rubber and palm trees is more profitable.
The result of this decreased replanting, and subsequent acreage turnover to other products, means that the remaining suppliers of cassia have had to venture deeper into the forests to cut down the wild trees. This is already starting to have an impact on the available of top quality cassia cinnamon and in the near future will result in further dwindling availability which will lead to further increased costs. At some point the increase in price may draw cassia farmers back into the market but trees can't be harvested for at least 7-8 years. Things are likely to get bleaker before they improve (if at all).
Types of Cinnamon
The names "cinnamon" and "cassia" cause quite a bit of confusion and in this country they're often used interchangeably. There are four economically significant species of cinnamon in the genus Cinnamomum.Cinnamomum verum is known as "true cinnamon", but may also be referred to as Ceylon or Sri Lankan cinnamon. The island of Sri Lanka is where this tree is indigenous although smaller areas of wild trees have also found in southwestern parts of India. For many years, it was botanically known as Cinnamomum zeylanicum, a reference to the island where it was first cultivated. The Portuguese, the island's first European colonial rulers, called the island Ceilao. When the British assumed rule of the country in 1815, they referred to the island as Ceylon. Ceylon gained independence in 1948, and when it became a republic in 1972 the name was changed to Sri Lanka.
The other three main species of cinnamon are Cinnamomum burmannii (called Korintje, Java, or Indonesian cinnamon), Cinnamomum loureiroi (known as Vietnamese or Saigon cinnamon) and Cinnamomum aromaticaum (referred to as Chinese cinnamon). Korintje, Vietnamese and Chinese Cinnamon are all classified under the Cassia Cinnamon category, as they're very similar to each other with only the slightest variations in flavor, color and shape. The term "cassia" is never used when referring to Ceylon cinnamon.
Not All Korintje Cinnamons Are Equal
Korintje is typically the cinnamon of choice for commercial bakeries in the US because of its good, familiar flavor and relatively low cost. We stock the highest quality Korintje cinnamon available -- grade A with 2-3% cinnamon oil (most grocery stores usually carry Indonesian cinnamon with the lower grade B or C which produces a much lower cinnamon oil content). Grade A cinnamon provides the highest cinnamon oil content of all the Indonesian cinnamon grades, while also delivering the most intense flavor and aroma. Grade A harvested "quills" must be one meter long (approximately 3.28 feet) and taken from the main trunk of the tree, while the lesser grades come from the branches.When and Where to Use
Korintje cassia cinnamon is used to bring a high level of sweet flavor to a variety of breads, cakes, cookies, ice cream, pastries, pies and puddings. You'll also find it in more savory dishes as well such as chutneys, dumplings, pickles, meat glazes, soups, stews, squash and even vinegars. It's also an outstanding enhancement to hot drinks like coffee, cocoa, cider and tea. We even have several of our larger Microbrew customers who use cassia cinnamon in several of their beers.Indonesian cinnamon works well in combination with chocolate, nuts and yogurt, fruits such as apples, apricots, bananas, blueberries, cherries and oranges and vegetables -- especially carrots, cauliflower, corn, onions, spinach and tomatoes.
Cinnamon pairs nicely with other spices such as allspice, black pepper, cardamom, cloves, ginger and nutmeg.
Some of our favorite recipes using cinnamon are Greek Noodle Casserole, Albondigas and Cinnamon and Ancho Chile Chocolate Bark.
Be careful not to overcook as it becomes bitter.
Flavor Profile
The high concentration of aromatic essential oils (typically 2-3%) gives this Korintje cinnamon a potent and subtly sweet cinnamon flavor** This product is certified kosher.
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