Cinnamon

There are several references to cinnamon in the Bible. In Exodus 30:23-29 it reads:"Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense, And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. "



I love the smell of cinnamon, I love it;s color and zest. I like cinnamon, candy, cinnamon flavored gum and cinnamon rolls too. It's one of the spices I have in my kitchen as Cream of Wheat, cookies, toast, oatmeal.. are sometime graced with this yummy treat. It's aroma is such that I think it's no wonder it is one of the spices used to fragrance the holy oil in the tabernacle of old.

I recently learned that cinnamon is a great additive to use as it contains vitamins C and K, iron, magnesium, calcium, and fiber. I have also recently learned that it is being studied for it's ability to help reduce cholesterol and glucose levels.

Ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks is actually from the inner bark of a tree that grows in the iar Fast. They are scientifically named, Cinnamomun zeylanicum, and you will find them in Ceylon, India Malaya and Japan, China and Taiwan. Oils are made from the fruit of this tree as well as the bark. This spice is also known as Cassia.

I found a great list of recipes that use cinnamon at http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blcinnamonindex.htm

Some of these are a bit exotic, but then so is cinnamon. In the meantime, I will also continue sprinkling it on my cream of wheat and toast too.