With fall in the air, all of a sudden food is getting warmer, fattier, and spicier. Recipes which might rely on a simple sprig of basil or a squeeze of lemon in the summer suddenly are layered with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and more.

Therefore, I thought I’d do a little fall/ winter series about different spices and herbs. Ways to use them, nutritional/ health benefits, and other information.

For the very first “Spice Up Your Life” post, let’s do a one of my all-time favorites, a real crowd pleaser:

Cinnamon!

source

Here are the categories for Spice Up Your Life:

1. Origin: tree bark, Sri Lanka. Now also grown elsewhere in Asia including Japan, India, China

2. Also Known As: From the Greek word “kinnamomon,” or derived from the Latin word for  “cane” (canna) in European translations of the word such as cannelle (French), canela (Spanish, Portuguese), cannella (Italian), kaneel (Dutch), kanel (Swedish), and kaneli (Finnish). Oddly enough, in Danish/Norwegian the word is “kardemomme” which sounds like a different spice completely (cardamom).

3. Plays Well With: Sweet potatoes/squash/pumpkin, carrots, chocolate, breads, pies, cakes/cookies, tea, oatmeal, desserts, honey, apples, raisins, curries, meats (although not from personal experience, I am aware it is commonly used in a lot of lamb, steak, chicken recipes in  middle eastern cuisine among others).

4. Spice Buddies: Cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, vanilla, ginger

5.  Nutritional/medicinal benefits: contains iron, manganese, calcium, regulates blood sugar, antiviral/antibacterial, inhibits Alzheimers/improves overall brain health, improves type 2 Diabetes, inhibits growth of colon and skin cancers (through antioxidant effects), fights e coli and arthritis.

6. Star quality: “Cinnamon Girl” by Neil Young (and Prince)

 What spices do you want me to cover in this series? What is your favorite use for cinnamon?

Meri