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Cinnamon – a warming, sweet and exotic spice – is especially appreciated by me during these cold winter months. Its aroma wafting through the house, whether from warm spiced cider, mulled wine or an enticing item in the oven, is especially comforting this time of year.
Cinnamon may be most often thought of as an ingredient for sweet baked treats, but it’s equally as wonderful when it lends its flavor to savory dishes. It’s one of the world’s oldest spices and holds a place of honor in many cuisines.
In Nigeria it’s used to spice yams, in Mexico it flavors mole sauce, in India it’s used in the spice blend garam masala, China’s five spice powder contains it, Greek lamb is flavored with it, the English toss it in rice pudding and in Morocco chicken is cooked with it.
And that’s just a partial list. It’s arguably the most popular spice in the world.
Cinnamon is sold in both powdered and stick form, also known as quills. These pleasantly pungent tubes are made from the inner bark of a tropical evergreen tree. The bark is harvested during the rainy season when pliable, and then dried into curls.
Flakes left over from this process are called featherings and are used to make powdered cinnamon or distilled for extract. Cinnamon trees can yield productive bark for about 45 years.
Cinnamon is native to Ceylon, but is now grown in tropical climates throughout the world, including Java, Borneo, Guyana, the West Indies and South America. Depending on which botanist you speak to, there are between 50 and 250 varieties of the tree.
Cinnamon sold in the U.S. is actually cassia, a relative of true – or Ceylon – cinnamon. Cassia has a stronger, more pungent flavor, while Ceylon cinnamon is subtle and more delicate. For this reason, many favor true cinnamon over cassia.
Other forms of cinnamon include Indonesian cinnamon and Vietnamese (or Saigon) cinnamon.
Cinnamon may be abundant now, but in past centuries it was rare and highly prized. The quest for cinnamon was a major factor in the European exploration of the world. Portuguese sailors braved the trip around the horn of Africa, and – most famously – Columbus sailed to the west.
Because of cinnamon, Ceylon was overtaken and controlled by the Portuguese in the 15th century. By the 17th century, the Dutch had wrested away Portuguese control of Ceylon, and in the following century, the British took it away from the Dutch.
Today cinnamon is cultivated in many tropical areas of the world, leading to a generous supply and making it affordable for most people.
Cinnamon’s history, however, goes back much further than European trade wars.
It was mentioned in Chinese writings as early as 2800 B.C. The Chinese used it medicinally as a treatment for colds, flu and digestive problems.
Cinnamon was an important medicinal spice in other ancient cultures. It was mentioned in the writings of the first century Roman naturalist and philosopher, Pliny the Elder, the Greek physician, Dioscorides, also of the first century, and Theophrastus, a student of Plato and Aristotle who lived in the fourth century.
According to Hebrew Scriptures, Moses used it as an ingredient in his anointing oils. The ancient Egyptians used it to embalm mummies and the ancient Romans burned it during funerals.
Cinnamon has anti-microbial properties, so it has often been used as a meat preservative through history. This property is but one of many benefits cinnamon has been shown to have on our health.
Studies have shown consumption of cinnamon aids in lowering LDL cholesterol, helps regulate blood sugar, relieves arthritis pain, boosts memory, and even helps reduce the proliferation of certain cancer cells.
Like the ancient Chinese, many swear by cinnamon’s effectiveness in combating a cold and use a teaspoon in tea for this purpose.
I love pairing cinnamon with a variety of fruits, including apples, pears, bananas and blueberries. It’s fantastic on winter squashes (including popular pumpkin and butternut) and with yams or sweet potatoes.
I add cinnamon to French toast and pancake batter, sprinkle it on my coffee, spice walnuts or pecans with it, stuff it into apples for baking, and throw the sticks into simmering cider on the stove or into poaching sauce for pears.
I also love to experiment with the ways it’s used in Moroccan, Greek, Indian or Mexican cooking.
Today’s recipe is for a rustic pear tart with a warm spice sauce that I created for a class on cooking with seasonal foods. Cinnamon and pears complement each other well; however, the warm spice sauce can be used in a variety of other ways, including as a sweetener in a warm cup of tea. Enjoy!
Rustic pear tart with walnuts and warm syrup
For crust:
¾ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
For filling:
3 large ripe pears, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
½ coarsely chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
For syrup:
1 cup water
1cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
Prepare crust by blending flour, sugar and salt in food processor until combined. Add butter, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolk and water, using on/off turns, until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball and flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 40 minutes and up to two days.
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Roll out dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 12-inch round. Remove top sheet of parchment and transfer dough, with bottom parchment, to rimmed baking sheet.
Place filling ingredients in large bowl and toss to combine. Spoon pear mixture into center of dough, leaving a 1 ½ inch border. Using parchment as aid, fold up outer edge of dough over edge of filling.
Bake until pears are tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 325 degrees F and cook an additional 20 minutes, or until pears are tender and juices are bubbling. Allow tart to cool.
Meanwhile, make syrup by simmering ingredients in small saucepan until reduced to about ½ cup and mixture thickens to a syrupy consistency. Typically this takes about 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and cloves from syrup once it begins to thicken.
To serve, cut tart into wedges and drizzle with syrup. If desired, serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Recipe by Esther Oertel / Crust recipe courtesy of www.epicurious.com.
Esther Oertel, the “Veggie Girl,” is a culinary coach and educator and is passionate about local produce. Oertel teaches culinary classes at Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., and The Kitchen Gallery in Lakeport, Calif., and gives private cooking lessons. She welcomes your questions and comments; e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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