Cassia vs Ceylon cinnamon: What we discovered after my husband developed a mysterious rash

Editorial disclosure: We purchased Seasoned Pioneers’ Ceylon cinnamon ourselves. This is an independent editorial review based on our personal experience. We received no payment, free products or other incentives from the brand. All product links are ordinary, non-affiliate links.

In our Persian kitchen, cinnamon is as ordinary as salt and pepper. While much of Britain associates it with Christmas, mulled wine and overpriced lattes, we’re putting it into rice, tea, macaroni and anything else H thinks needs extra warmth. It’s one of those ingredients we buy without thinking, because there’s rarely a time when we don’t have some in the cupboard.

My husband grew up in Iran, where spices are an important part of everyday cooking. We use cinnamon in lubia polo, the comforting Persian dish of rice, green beans and meat, and occasionally in zereshk polo. Sometimes we add it to the rice water, sometimes we sprinkle it over freshly steamed chelow. It depends on the dish, who’s cooking and how much H decides to interfere with my efforts. He’s particular about his Persian food, although after years of marriage, I’ve learnt that a little spice can cover a lot of culinary disagreements.

Food is one of the ways we’ve kept Persian traditions alive in our British home. From everyday rice dishes to the meals we enjoy during Nowruz, the Persian New Year, our kitchen has become a meeting point for two cultures. And while I haven’t mastered every Persian recipe, I’ve developed an appreciation for the spices that give them their character. I’ve written more about our family traditions in my Nowruz stories.

I’d never given much thought to what was actually inside the jar. It smelled lovely, tasted familiar and did its job. I wasn’t examining botanical names while trying to get dinner on the table. Then, during lockdown, H developed a persistent facial rash that left us searching for answers.

We’d never considered our spice cupboard while trying to understand H’s skin problems. Then we discovered there was more than one type of cinnamon.

H’s rash was uncomfortable and difficult to explain. Allergy tests hadn’t identified a clear cause, and we found ourselves considering everything from skincare products to the ingredients in our meals. It was frustrating because there didn’t seem to be any obvious pattern.

Eventually, we began looking more closely at our spices. It seemed unlikely that something we’d used for years could suddenly become a problem, but the more we investigated, the more what we were buying came under scrutiny.

We discovered that there were different varieties of cinnamon, and decided to try an alternative to the Cassia we’d been using. We bought Ceylon cinnamon from Seasoned Pioneers, partly out of curiosity and partly because we wanted to see whether changing something in our everyday cooking made any difference.

H’s skin improved after the switch, and the rash eventually settled. We can’t say for certain that Cassia was responsible, especially as his allergy tests hadn’t established a diagnosis. Skin conditions can improve for many reasons, and we hadn’t carried out a controlled test, but the experience made us question an ingredient we’d previously bought without a second thought.

Cassia is the name commonly used for several closely related varieties of cinnamon. It’s generally darker and stronger, with a robust, slightly pungent flavour and thick, hard bark. It’s usually cheaper and widely used in baking, drinks and everyday cooking.

Ceylon cinnamon, sometimes called ‘true cinnamon’, comes from Cinnamomum verum, a tree traditionally associated with Sri Lanka. Its bark forms delicate, papery layers, and its flavour is lighter, sweeter and less overpowering. Once cinnamon is ground, however, it’s difficult to identify the variety by appearance alone, which makes accurate labelling particularly useful.

For our cooking, that difference matters. When you’re making lubia polo, you want the spices to complement the rice, tomato and green beans rather than dominate the saucepan. Ceylon gives us that familiar warmth without drowning out everything else. H notices the difference, too, and given how particular he can be about Persian food, I’ll take that as an endorsement.

Cassia generally contains much higher levels of coumarin, a naturally occurring compound associated with liver damage when consumed in excessive amounts over time. Ceylon typically contains much less, making it a sensible alternative for people who regularly use large quantities of cinnamon.

The tolerable daily intake for coumarin is 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. This is a guide to long-term exposure, not a suggestion that the occasional cinnamon bun is dangerous. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment explains that regular consumption of large amounts of Cassia can increase exposure and recommends choosing Ceylon for frequent, generous use. Its guidance on coumarin and cinnamon provides further detail.

It’s also worth remembering that both varieties can potentially cause allergic reactions. Switching to Ceylon isn’t a guaranteed solution for someone with a suspected cinnamon allergy. A persistent or recurring rash should be assessed by a healthcare professional, particularly when the cause remains unclear.

Cinnamon has acquired quite a reputation in the wellness industry. Depending on what you read, it supposedly regulates blood sugar, suppresses appetite, reduces cravings and helps with weight loss. As someone who enjoys the gym but has never managed to develop a dislike of bread, I can understand why these claims attract attention.

Some scientific studies suggest cinnamon supplementation may modestly improve certain blood glucose measurements, particularly among people with type 2 diabetes. However, the findings are inconsistent, and researchers have used different preparations and doses. There isn’t enough reliable evidence to recommend cinnamon as a treatment for diabetes, and it should never replace prescribed medication or professional advice.

The weight-loss claims are even less convincing. Although some studies have reported small reductions in body weight, the evidence doesn’t establish cinnamon as an effective slimming aid. It also contains plant compounds with antioxidant activity, but that doesn’t automatically translate into proven health benefits in people.

Personally, I’d rather enjoy it for what it brings to my food. A little sprinkled over coffee or porridge adds flavour without needing extra sugar, and that’s useful enough without expecting it to perform miracles. My own experiments with food, including cutting out added sugar, have taught me to be wary of promising too much from any single ingredient.

When we first bought Ceylon cinnamon from Seasoned Pioneers, we were just looking for an alternative to the Cassia we’d been using. We weren’t interested in discovering a new favourite spice company. But sometimes the products you find while trying to solve one problem end up becoming regulars in your kitchen.

Seasoned Pioneers is a British specialist spice company with a range that goes well beyond the familiar supermarket staples. Its selection includes individual herbs and spices, as well as blends inspired by different culinary traditions. That variety appeals to us because we’re always looking for ingredients that help us recreate the food H grew up eating in Iran.

Persian cooking depends on the balance of spices rather than simply using as much as possible. H can usually tell when something isn’t quite right, and he’s rather less forgiving than I am when it comes to his beloved lubia polo. I might be happy to improvise with whatever is left in the cupboard, but some flavours are worth getting right. It’s one reason we appreciate having access to a specialist spice range rather than relying entirely on whatever the supermarket happens to stock.

It’s the same reason I enjoy making sosis bandari, our spicy Persian sausage wraps. The ingredients are straightforward, but getting the seasoning right makes all the difference. Having a well-stocked spice cupboard means we can cook the dishes H remembers without turning every meal into a hunt for ingredients.

I also appreciate the practical side of the brand’s packaging. The resealable pouches are useful when you have a cupboard full of spices that don’t all get used at the same rate. I can close them after cooking rather than leaving half-used packets folded over and hoping for the best. Anyone who has discovered a fine dusting of paprika at the bottom of a kitchen drawer will understand the appeal.

It’s not necessarily the cheapest way to stock a spice cupboard, and I’m not going to pretend every home cook needs to become a spice connoisseur. Some people may prefer the stronger flavour of Cassia, particularly in baking. But when you use spices regularly, flavour matters. For us, Seasoned Pioneers has become our favourite because we enjoy its range, find its packaging practical and particularly like its Ceylon cinnamon.

We originally discovered the brand while investigating H’s skin problems. We continue choosing it because we enjoy cooking with its cinnamon. And considering how particular H is about his Persian food, that’s probably the more convincing endorsement.

You can explore the spice range at Seasoned Pioneers. We purchased our cinnamon independently and do not receive commission from the link.

Before lockdown, I couldn’t have told you much about the different varieties of cinnamon. I knew how it should smell, how it should taste and roughly how much H would want in his rice. That was the extent of my expertise, and I thought it was more than sufficient.

These days, I’m a little more interested in what goes into our food, because our experience showed me how easily we take products for granted. I still love the smell of spices drifting through the kitchen when H is cooking. For him, those flavours are a connection to Iran. For me, they’ve become part of our family life, somewhere between a cup of Yorkshire tea and a plate of lubia polo.

Have you ever discovered something surprising about an ingredient you’ve been using for years? Or do you, like I once did, grab the nearest jar without giving it another thought? I’d love to hear your experiences.

Occasional stories, experiments, discoveries and questions from Saffron & Cyrus.