Some History on Cinnamon and Then Our Next Menu!

Our last Dinner Club focused on the “secret ingredient” of Cinnamon. (See my last blog entry for a fantastic recipe) Having declared our friend, Eric, the supreme chef among us (at least for the night J ) we’re ready to move on to our next Dinner Club this weekend. Before I tell you what our next meeting is all about, I wanted to share with you some basics on the age-old ingredient of cinnamon. 

First, there’s not just one kind of cinnamon. According to the Penzeys Spices website, www.penzeys.com:

“There are two main types of cinnamon. Cassia cinnamon is native to Southeast Asia, especially southern China and northern Vietnam, and has the strong, spicy-sweet flavor most Americans are familiar with. Vietnamese and China cinnamon are the sweetest and strongest varieties, with Korintje cinnamon having a smooth flavor with less bite. Our cinnamon sticks and Korintje cinnamon both come from the southwest coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. It grows wild on the government protected slopes of Mount Kerinci, where the cinnamon gets its name. We stock the top Korintje A grade, although there are also the lower B and C grades, which are the types of cinnamon usually sold in supermarkets in the U.S.”

 “The second type of cinnamon, Ceylon, or "true" cinnamon, has a much different flavor. It is less sweet, with a more complex, citrus flavor. The special flavor of English and Mexican sweets comes from Ceylon cinnamon. We like to recommend Ceylon Cinnamon for baking with fruit—especially in apple pie.” – quoted directly from: www.penzeys.com

There is much about the historical significance of cinnamon on the internet. For example, www.wikipedia.org offers this:

“Cinnamon has been known from remote antiquity. It was imported to Egypt as early as 2000 BC, but those who report that it had come from China confuse it with cassia. The Hebrew bible makes specific mention of the spice many times: first when Moses is commanded to use both sweet cinnamon (Hebrew: קִנָּמוֹן, qinnāmôn) and cassia in the holy annointing oil, in Proverbs, where the lover's bed is perfumed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon; and in Song of Solomon a song describing the beauty of his beloved, cinnamon scents her garments like the smell of Lebanon.”

There’s so much interesting reading on this spice and its uses that I can’t possibly keep going here, but if you’re interested in exploring the different types of this special spice and its uses in your cooking, I encourage you to do some reading online and visit your local spice store. We have a Penzeys store here in Omaha and it’s always a fantastic resource when your cooking requires – or you desire – something more unique than what your local grocery has to offer.

So, now it’s on to our next Dinner Club, and our next special focus ingredient. Not a spice this time, but another element that has been significant in history and in cuisines and cultures worldwide: coffee.

Our meal this weekend is centered on coffee, from the appetizer all the way through soup and dessert. We may be a bit wired afterward, but I know we’ll enjoy! This time we’re back to our usual planned menu; no surprises; although we are continually surprised by how delicious and enjoyable our meals together continue to be! Here’s our menu for this weekend: