cinnamon

[victor steinbok]

The cinnamon article in the OED seems not only outdated but somewhat
freewheeling.

1. a. The inner bark of an East Indian tree (see 2), dried in the sun, in
rolls or ‘quills’, and used as a spice. It is of a characteristic yellowish
brown colour, brittle, fragrant, and aromatic, and acts as a carminative
and restorative.


I don't recall any other entry giving medical advice. Should we add that
it's also considered a natural folk remedy for diabetes? Or just leave out
that last bit?

 2. The tree which yields this bark, *Cinnamomum zeylanicum*, family *
Lauraceae*. Also applied to other trees, allied to, or in some way
resembling the true cinnamon; *esp.*  *bastard cinnamon* n. the cassia n.1,
*C. Cassia*.  *mountain cinnamon* n. *Cinnamodendron corticosum*.  *wild
cinnamon* n. *Canella alba* and *Myrcia acris*.*black cinnamon*: see the
first element.


If you pick up cinnamon sticks or ground cinnamon from a supermarket, you
are 100% guaranteed to get Cassia bark. Even shopping at specialty spice
stores reveals mostly Cassia supplies. The "true cinnamon" is often
especially labeled and is considered inferior for most uses (it is more
fragrant, but lacks the concentrated taste of Cassia).

 3. *attrib.* and as adj. Cinnamon-coloured.


This is interesting. This is one place where I would certainly expect an
"attrib." entry, but the one I found was not the one I anticipated.
"Cinnamon candy" is rarely brown and more often red. In general, red
coloring is associated with cinnamon in food, personal hygiene and cosmetic
products, such as gum, toothpaste (label is often red or has red
highlights), sweets (e.g., Atomic Fireballs), mouth wash, drinks (De
Kuyper's Cinnamon Schnapps, Italian Liquore di Cannella or Liquore alla
Cannella, although the latter two are more brown than orange--while Italian
aperitifs based on bitter orange, somewhat resembling the American
artificial cinnamon flavor, are always red). This association may be
limited to the US. But despite association of cinnamon with the red color,
a "cinnamon color" is not red--orange-brown, perhaps.

But what about all those red-colored cinnamon-flavored items? Should that
not fall under "attrib." category if they are labeled "cinnamon"? What
about "cinnamon buns"? they don't appear to have any place in the OED
taxonomy.

And how is cinnamon 3. different from cinnamon 6.?

 6. Yellowish brown, the colour characteristic of cinnamon quills.


    VS-)

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