As in the case of sago and tapioca, a good deal of misconception
prevails in regard to cinnamon and cassia, and as with sago and
tapioca, one is often sold for the other by the uninformed. The word
“cassia,” botanically speaking, has nothing whatever to do with the
aromatic bark which we call by that name, but refers to a genus of
plants of the bean family, from which are derived the dried senna
leaves, an infusion of which our mothers induced us to take by the
bribe of a piece of candy, altho we had “tummy ache” for a brief space
afterwards. The word “cinnamon” is derived from two Malayan words
“cassia” from the Greek word “kasian,” which occurs in Psalms XLV-8,
and elsewhere in the Bible, where it is supposed to refer to the
aromatic bark of the present day, was afterwards tacked on. That cassia
(the bark) was known in biblical times is well authenticated. It is
mentioned in a Chinese herbal published in 1700 B. C. under the name
kwei.
The earliest mention of cinnamon is in a list of offerings by
Seleneneus Callinieus, king of Syria, and his brother, Antiochus
Hierax, to the temple of Apollo at Miletus, 243 B. C. Among the gifts
mentioned are: “2 lbs. of cassia and a like quantity of cinnamon.”
From this it appears there was then a recognized distinction between
the two barks. We do know that the cassia was obtained from China, but
the source of the cinnamon is unknown, unless it was obtained thru
the Chinese from Ceylon, the inhabitants of those countries being in
frequent intercourse in ancient times, for the earliest mention we have
of cinnamon as a production of Ceylon is by Kazwini, an Arab writer of
about 1275 A. D.
[Illustration]
That cinnamon and cassia were extremely analogus is proved by the
remark of the Greek physician Galen (130–200 A. D.): “The finest cassia
differs so little from the lowest quality of cinnamon, that the first
may be substituted for the second, provided a double quantity of it
were used.” With this brief historical sketch we will now endeavor to
point out the differences between the two barks.
In the first place the word “cinnamon” refers solely to the cinnamon
zeylanicium plant of Ceylon, where it is found growing wild, and was
first brot under cultivation by De Koke in 1770. Here again, as with
cloves, mace, etc., the Dutch tried to monopolize the trade. The giving
away of a plant was punishable by flogging and the destruction of a
plant involved the penalty of death. The tree grows to the height of
20 or 30 ft., having a trunk 12 to 18 inches in diameter; the leaves
are of a thick leathery texture, 4 to 6 inches long, very smooth and
shining on the upper surface, glaucous with prominent netted veins
on the under side, and are traversed by 3 or 5 ribs. The flowers are
greenish-white and appear in clusters of threes. The fruit is an
oval berry, not unlike an acorn in shape and color. The tree flowers
in January and the fruit ripens in August. When the branches are
peeled the finest sticks are said to be derived from the liber of the
middle-sized branches, an inferior sort from the younger shoots, and
that which is procured from the thickest branches is considered of
little worth. The peeling commences in May and lasts until November.
The shoots or branches, usually about ½-inch to ¾-inch in diameter
and from 3 to 5 ft. long, are cut off with a curved pruning knife,
tied up in bundles and carried to the peeling sheds. The bark is
removed with a small, round-pointed knife, with a small projecting rib
or cutter placed at right angles to the edge of the knife. With this
knife the bark is split lengthwise of the stock. It is then carefully
loosened from the wood for a short distance on either side of the
slit. A similar incision is made on the opposite side and the bark is
finally removed. The bark is then put in piles, covered with scrapings
and matting and left for about two days, during which time a sort of
fermentation takes place, which greatly facilitates the separation
of the outer part of the bark from the cuticle and epidermis, which
is carefully done by scraping with a small, curved knife, having a
slightly serrated edge. This process is called piping. The piper sorts
the bark as he scrapes it. He selects a slip suitable for the outer
layer, about 3 ft. long, and packs within it 6 or 8 other pieces, all
about the thickness of vellum paper--a mark which always distinguishes
Ceylon cinnamon from cassia. They are then rolled up together and
exposed to the sun to dry. It now resembles a tight roll of paper,
the best quality being firm and compact, of a golden yellow color,
smooth on both outer and inner surfaces. The cheaper grades are not so
carefully made, having many short pieces in the pipes or quills and not
so much attention is paid to obtain uniform size and color. At Colombo
it is sorted into three kinds by government inspectors. The two finest
kinds are exported, the third with the broken pieces being reserved for
obtaining oil of cinnamon. It is formed in bales about 90 lbs. each and
wrapped in double cloths made of hemp, and not, as stated by some, of
the cocoa tree.
Guava bark, soaked in the water left after the distillation of
cinnamon oil and rubbed over with cinnamon oil, is sometimes placed
inside good cinnamon quills and then it takes a man of Solomon’s wisdom
to detect the fraud.