from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Ceylonese
Cinnamon
https://www.flickr.com/photos/manuuuuuu/6437950307/
Cinnamon is traditional in certain French desserts and pastries and absolutely
a must in hot punches; nevertheless, its use is a fraction of that seen in
recipes from one-hundred years ago.
Despite cinnamon’s drop in popularity, it will still be in many pastries and desserts, and powdered cinnamon will also decorate cappuccino coffees while
whole sticks of cinnamon will be used in pickling.
Cappuccino
with Cinnamon
Cinnamon on French
Menus:
Pomme
au Four à la Cannelle - Baked apples flavored with cinnamon.
Salade
d'Oranges Fraîches Parfumée à la Cannelle – A salad of fresh oranges scented with
cinnamon.
Cinnamon Rolls
Photograph
courtesy of Daryn Nakhuda
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ddaarryynn/2955397132/
Crêpe,Poire Pochée au Gingembre
et Cannelle, Sauce Chocolat
Chaude – A crepe served with a poached pear
flavored with ginger
and cinnamon and covered in a chocolate
sauce.
Cap'n Crunch Cinnamon Roll Crunch
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeepersmedia/15949684770/
Glace
a la Vanille de Madagascar et Mirabelles
Poêlées a la Cannelle De Ceylan
–
Ice cream flavored with vanilla from
Madagascar and served with France’s own Mirabelle plums cooked with Ceylonese
cinnamon.
The
island of Sri Lanka
The island of Sri Lanka (formerly
called Ceylon), southeast of India is home to this popular member of the cinnamon
family. Several attempts have been made
to transplant cinnamon trees to other parts of the tropics, but outside of Sri
Lanka, in commercial quantities, it has only been successfully transplanted to
the Seychelles where it also grows wild.
Ceylonese
Cinnamon Quills
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cinnamonvogue/14724175617/
Cinnamon, for the French, is the bark
of Ceylonese Cinnamon tree. Despite that, four-hundred years ago the Chinese
Cinnamon, called Cassia, was the cinnamon that was used in France. Then with the discovery of the route around
Africa Ceylonese Cinnamon became available in quantity and at competitive
prices and by the early years of Haute Cuisine, 200 years ago, Chinese Cinnamon,
Cassia, was pushed into the background
Cinnamon
quills in the market in Lyon
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanjasphotos/8031845241/
There is a large family of cinnamon
trees, but the Ceylonese cinnamon has a stronger aroma, and it is sweeter, with
none of the kick of Chinese cinnamon. The
Egyptians were the Ceylonese Cinnamon importers who brought Cinnamon from
India to Egypt on camel trains. Their wholesalers to the Mediterranean countries
were, as usual, the Phoenicians and they made Ceylonese Cinnamon a sought after spice. The long overland trek to Egypt and the additional costs involved in the subsequent secondary distribution limited quantities and
made Ceylonese cinnamon very expensive, but despite that the Egyptians used Ceylonese cinnamon
in cooking and even in their embalming fluids!
Until the Europeans found their way around Africa, only the wealthy could afford
Ceylonese cinnamon. The beautiful part
about both cinnamon trees is that their bark is cut down, and that supplies the cinnamon quils. Then the bark grows back,
and one year later it may be harvested again.
Cinnamon
Bread
https://www.flickr.com/photos/brownsugarsweets/6246772500/
www.brownsugarsweets.com
Ceylonese cinnamon has a sweet taste
and clear aroma that is missing in all other cinnamon family members. Try both Chinese Cinnamon and Ceylonese
Cinnamon in a blind test and you will immediately sense the difference.
Sri Lankan Cinnamon (Ceylonese)
in the languages of France’s neighbors:
(Catalan - canyella),
(Dutch - kaneel), ( German – zimt,
echter zimt,
zimt Cinnamomum), (Italian – canella), (Spanish – canela).
Cannelle
de Chine, Casse, Canéfice
Cassia,
Chinese Cinnamon.
The Cassia tree is larger than that of the Ceylonese Cinnamon tree, but that does not mean the Ceylonese tree is small, it grows to over 12 meters. The Cassia has pale yellow
flowers that are pollinated mostly by flies, and birds, which swallow the soft black
fruit as soon as it is ripe and scatter the seeds.
Cassia
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jul/5101650364/
In Chinese cookery, cassia is an
essential ingredient and used in the famous Chinese five spice powder and in spice mixtures used for slowly simmered dishes. Together with other spices, cassia is also essential for several Chinese cooking
techniques. Nevertheless,
Ceylonese cinnamon is making its way into the Chinese kitchen and even into the
Chinese five spice powder.
Cassia
https://www.flickr.com/photos/zoyachubby/464108350/
Chinese Cinnamon, Cassia on French
Menus:
Crumble
de Fruits de Saison à la Cannelle de Chine, Glace
aux Gousses de Vanille – A crumble made with the season’s
fruits, flavored with Chinese Cinnamon and served with ice-cream
flavored with vanilla pods.
Filet
de Canard
Rotî aux Cinq Parfums Anis Étoilé, Graines Fenouil, Girofle,
Cannelle de Chine, Poivre Sichuan –
A cut of roast duck
breast flavored with five spices: star anise,
fennel seeds, cloves,
Chinese cinnamon, and Szechuan pepper. (This menu listing came from an excellent French-Chinese
restaurant).
Cassia, Chinese Cinnamon, is still
today the cinnamon mostly widely used in Asian cuisine. However, I have seen it
advertised in French homeopathic pharmacies where the essential oils of Cassia
are offered along with other Cassia potions.
Chinese
Cinnamon
Chinese Cinnamon, Cassia
in the languages of France’s neighbors:
(Catalan - cassia
cinamom xinès, ), (Dutch - kassie, bastaardkaneel, valse kaneel),
(German - Chinesischer zimt, kassie, cassia), (Italian - cassia, cannella della cina), (Spanish - casia, canela de China).
Connected Posts:
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Copyright
2010, 2016
