Cinnamon Cassia India

Often compared to the gran cinnamon of Ceylan, Cinnamon cassia falls short. Yet it is only a close cousin of the main variety. The bark is a shaving that does not require as much mastery, culture or dexterity to obtain as the Cinnamomum zeylanicum. Cassia is nonetheless a delicious spice that is particularly adapted to blends everywhere. 

The taste of Cassia is more marked, more liquroice-like, with woody, peppery sweet and spicy notes. Chewing on a piece of the bark is a real treat for the tastebuds. 

Cassia is not only an ingredient in many of my spice blends, but it is particularly good on poultry at the end of the cooking process. The best, however, is to sprinkle it on a crème brûlée, or a fig or prune tart.

We ourselves make regular visits to Kerala, where the fair trade and organic farmer’s association through which our producers work is located.  

True cinnamon comes from the bark of the young shoots of Cinnamomum zeylanicum, a large tree of the Lauraceae family. It should not be confused with cassia or Chinese cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia), which is less subtle. They can be told apart by the thickness and color of the bark. Cinnamon is thinner and is a warm yellow-brown, while cassia is thicker and reddish-brown.