The thick, dried bark of several Asian cinnamon trees. Cassia is stronger, hotter and sweeter than true cinnamon, is sold as cinnamon in much of the world, and is rich in coumarin.
What it is¶
Cassia is the bark of several evergreen trees closely related to true cinnamon. The bark is stripped from the trees and dried, but unlike true cinnamon the whole bark, including much of the outer layer, is used, giving thick, hard, single-layered curls or flat pieces, reddish-brown to dark brown and rough on the outside.
Three species dominate the trade:
| Type | Species | Main origin | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese cassia | Cinnamomum cassia | Southern China, Vietnam | Robust, sweet, spicy; the classic Chinese spice |
| Indonesian (Korintje) cassia | C. burmannii | Sumatra, Indonesia | Milder, the everyday "cinnamon" of North America |
| Vietnamese (Saigon) cassia | C. loureiroi | Vietnam | Very strong and sweet, high in oil |
In North America, and increasingly elsewhere, cassia is legally and commonly sold simply as cinnamon. In Britain it is often labelled cassia, but ground "cinnamon" may be either.
Origins and history¶
Cassia has been used in China for well over two thousand years and was traded westward in antiquity; the Hebrew Bible lists a spice usually translated as cassia among the ingredients of the holy anointing oil in Exodus. Greek and Roman writers distinguished cassia from cinnamon, but the terms overlapped and what they meant is not always certain.
Cassia was typically cheaper and more plentiful than true cinnamon, and it steadily displaced it in many markets. By the twentieth century cassia, especially from Indonesia, was the standard "cinnamon" of the American kitchen. Cassia buds, the dried unripe flowers, look like small cloves and were used in medieval Europe and are still used in pickles and in Chinese cooking.
Flavour and aroma¶
Cassia contains a higher proportion of cinnamaldehyde than true cinnamon and less of the floral and citrus compounds, so it tastes stronger, hotter and more straightforwardly "cinnamon", with a woody, slightly bitter finish. Vietnamese cassia is the most intense, with a sweet, almost candied heat; Indonesian is milder and rounder. It stands up to long cooking and bold flavours better than true cinnamon does.
In the kitchen¶
- Chinese cooking: an essential ingredient of chinese five spice and red-braised pork (hong shao rou), master stocks and soy-braised meats, usually with star anise, sichuan pepper and cloves.
- Vietnamese pho: a stick of cassia, charred with star anise, cloves, black cardamom and coriander seed, perfumes the broth.
- Indian cooking: much of the "cinnamon" in Indian cooking is cassia; a piece is fried with whole spices at the start of biryani, pulao and meat curries, and it goes into garam masala.
- American baking: cinnamon rolls, snickerdoodles, apple pie and pumpkin spice are usually made with cassia, whose strength suits them.
- Drinks: mulling spice, spiced cider and chai.
Cassia bark is too hard to grind easily at home; break it into pieces and use a powerful spice grinder, or buy ground cassia in small quantities.
💡 Use less
Cassia is roughly a third stronger than true cinnamon. If a recipe was written for Ceylon cinnamon, start with about three-quarters of the stated amount.
Buying and storing¶
Cassia bark keeps for two to three years in an airtight container away from light and heat; ground cassia is good for about six months. Its robust oils make it a little more forgiving than true cinnamon. Check labels if the species matters to you; see storing spices and buying spices.
Substitutes¶
- Cinnamon: gentler and more fragrant; use about a third more.
- In Chinese braises, extra star anise and a clove or two.
- In baking, mixed spice or allspice.
Pairs well with¶
Pork, beef, duck, apples, pumpkin, sweet potato, chocolate and coffee; star anise, cloves, ginger, sichuan pepper, fennel seed, black cardamom, nutmeg and orange peel.
Health and safety¶
Cassia is naturally rich in coumarin, a compound that can damage the liver in susceptible people if consumed in large amounts over time. Content varies widely between species, batches and parts of the bark, but cassia commonly contains many times more coumarin than true cinnamon, which has only traces.
The European Food Safety Authority sets a tolerable daily intake for coumarin of 0.1 mg per kg of body weight: about 6 mg a day for a 60 kg adult. With high-coumarin cassia, as little as a teaspoon or so of the ground spice a day could exceed that, and young children reach the limit far sooner. The EU also sets maximum coumarin levels for foods such as cinnamon-flavoured baked goods.
Occasional use in cooking is not a concern. People who eat cinnamon daily in quantity, for instance in porridge, smoothies or supplements, would be wise to choose true Ceylon cinnamon. See coumarin in cinnamon.