Did you know that Dalchini (Cinnamomum Zeylanicum), popular as Ceylon cinnamon, the spice derived from bark of several species of its tree is a "Prakriti Ka Khazana-Treasure of Nature"?
Dalchini, a bushy evergreen tree, of the laurel family Lauraceae, with Latin name Cinnamomum Zeylanicum, English word "cinnamon", old English word "cassia", also called Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), grows in tropical regions only. Due to its dry bark's instant aroma and flavor can enhance the taste and smell of any dish and is a very popular spice choice since olden days; it is world’s one of the popular flavours. The spice, consisting of the dried inner bark, is brown in colour and has a delicately fragrant aroma and a warm sweet flavour.
The genus of cinnamomum has 250 species and many of them aromatic, and flavouring several cultivars are known, but mostly sweet or honey types are cultivated extensively. The plant or bush is indigenous to Sri Lanka, which is the largest producer and exporter of quill and bark oil of best quality. Plant reached Europe and Egypt by fifth century BC. It was introduced in Java in 1825 and has since been cultivated in India, Seychelles, Madagascar, Brazil, South East Asia and other tropical countries. In India, it is confined to lower elevations of Malabar Coast of India on the Western Ghats (the Konkan southwards) in Kerala, and lower Nilgiris of Tamil Nadu. But still does not grow abundantly in India.
Cinnamon or true cinnamon has many vernacular names in India such as in: Hindi: Dalchini, Darchini; Bengali:Dalchini; Gujarati : Dalchini; Kannada : Lavangapattai; Malayalam : Karuvapatta; Marathi : Dalchini; Oriya : Dalchini; Punjabi : Dalchini; Sanskrit : Darushila; Tamil : Karuvapattai, Sannalavangapattai; Urdu : Dalchini; and Darchin: Sinhala.
The cinnamon tree grows well in tropical climates in regions with elevation below 1500 m, prefers the light white sandy soil or slightly stiff clay. The tree is an ever green, about 6 to 8 m high. Its leaves are large, ovate, thick leathery, pointed at tips and shining green in colour. Flowers are minute in large hairy clusters. It is propagated from seeds which are sown in beds and later transplanted. The ideal temperature for growing cinnamon is from 20-30 degree C and rainfall varying from 1250 to 2500 mm. In its long gestation period, around third year after plantation, the trees are coppiced to induce the formation of shoots, of which only 5 or 6 are allowed to grow until the bark begins to turn brown by the formation of corky layer. The shoots will then be 6-8 feet high and 0.5-2 in diameter, and are ready for harvesting. The planter then harvests the main crop during the wet season, shearing the shoots close to the ground. In processing, the shoots are first scraped with a semicircular blade and then rubbed with a brass rod to loosen the bark, which is split with a knife and peeled. The peels are telescoped one into another, forming a quill about 107 cm (42 inches) long and filled with trimmings of the same quality bark to maintain a cylindrical shape. After four or five days of drying, the quills are rolled on a board to tighten the filling and then placed in subdued sunlight for further drying. Finally, they are bleached with sulfur dioxide and sorted into grades.
The quills are sold in the form of long slender sticks containing numerous small quills which are extremely thin and brittle, often marked with longitudinal striations on their inner surface. These are frequently mixed with a rougher, thicker and less aromatic bark from Indian Cassia Lignea (Cinnamomun tamala) , etc.
Dalchini has carminative, astringent and stomachie properties, and forms an ingredient of many medicines prescribed for bowel complaints. It is used externally in neuralgia, toothache, etc. Its largest use is, however, as a spice or condiment on account of the presence of the essential oil which imparts a delicious flavour to curries. As Dalchini is known to increase salivation and to improve digestive functions, it is recommended by Indian Ayurveda. It also acts as a local antiseptic by virtue of its antibacterial action.
Dalchini produces two types of oil, one from bark called bark oil and the other is leaf oil from leaves and tender twigs. Bark oil is used for expensive perfumes flavouring, confectionary liquors and pharmaceuticals Leaf oil is used in making cheap perfumes in soap, toothpaste, and hair oil. It is a cheap substitute for clove oil. For bark and bark oil, two varieties of cinnamon namely Navahsree (SL63) and Nithyshree (IN 189), yielding 55.6 kg and 54.2 kg dry bark/ha/year respectively are recommended for cultivation.
The global production of Cinnamon has increased over the years. Four countries combined - Indonesia, China, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka produce 99% of the world’s total.
- Narasipur Char
