The Herb Traveler – Guilin, China
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Chinese Cassia

You are in the Middle Kingdom. The air is redolent with the fragrance of cinnamon.  

GUILIN, CHINA, truly a magical place. The city streets are lined with a profusion of flowering Cassia trees (Cinnamomum cassia).  The scent of cinnamon fills the air.  Guilin, founded in 214 BCE has been hailed by many as the most beautiful place in China.  The eye is coaxed to look in many directions: early morning exercisers dancing together, boating along the Li River; fisherman in their sampans trolling with ring-necked cormorants for their catch; graceful, thumb-shaped, mountain peaks; pagodas and bamboo groves. 

Here, the people believe that when the moon is round, families unite.  Yue’ yua’n, r’en yu’an.  As the Chinese calendar is based on the the moon, the celebration of the Fall moon and the Harvest Festival of Lights is the auspicious moment for families and friends to gather.  Children carry paper lanterns as relatives climb the hills for a good view of the moon.

There are Chinese legends paired with the full moon and with the cinnamon tree.  The story goes that once there was a rather shiftless fellow who desired to live forever.  His name was Wu Kang.  Wu Kang went to see a wise Master and asked him how he could achieve immortality.  The Master sent him into the mountains of China to study the ways of eternal life.  An immortal there first taught him about herbs to cure sickness.  This learning would take many years.  However, after only three days, Wu Kang became bored and wanted to learn another subject.  So, the Master tried to teach him the ways of strategy and intellect by learning chess.  In only a few days, Wu Kang’s enthusiasm again waned.  Then, the master gave him books to study on immortality.  Wu Kang had little interest and desired to travel to a new place.

Angered, this time the Master banished Wu Kang to the Moon Palace in the sky.  He told Wu that the only way he could return to earth was to completely chop down the magical Cassia tree.  Day and night Wu Kang chopped the tree, but the magical tree restored itself with each blow.  Wu Kang is still there chopping on the barren moon.  If one looks carefully at the full moon, he or she may be able to see the dark shadows of Wu Kang chopping the Cassia tree.  Chinese believe that in the autumn, Cassia buds fall from the moon and the fragrance flutters out of the clouds. 

What do we know about Chinese Cassia?  It is an evergreen tree, family Lauraceae growing up to 21 feet with a white aromatic bark, oblong, lanceolate, seven-inch leaves, and small, yellow, summer flowers that hang from long stocks.  The tree grows in hot, wet, tropical climates.  The Chinese Cassia tree is not to be confused with a very different plant, Senna (Cassia angustifolia)!

Cassia is first mentioned in an early Chinese Herbal by Shen-Nung (2700 BCE) and is called Kwei.  The bark and the buds (the dried, unripe fruits resembling cloves) were spices used to treat nausea and flatulence.

Cassia is an aromatic bark resembling cinnamon but differing in strength and quality.

Cassia bark is darker, thicker, and coarser than cinnamon, and the corky outer bark is often left on.  The outer surface is greyish-brown and slightly rough.  The inner surface is reddish brown.  To tell the difference between cinnamon and cassia, note when buying sticks that cassia is rolled from both sides toward the center, resembling an ancient scroll.  Cinnamon sticks are rolled into a single quill.

Cassia is one of the ingredients in the Chinese Five-Spices: Szechuan pepper, cloves, fennel, star anise and cassia.  Cassia is pungent, sweet and warm in nature.  It is used in spicy main dishes as stews and casseroles; with mulling spices, and with stewed fruits, especially apples. 

Awesome Chinese Cinnamon Cassia Apple Bread

Ingredients:
Four cups Macintosh apples (4-5 large apples), peeled, cored and cut into 1” chunks
Four large eggs, beaten
One cup Canola oil
Two teaspoons pure vanilla extract
One teaspoon pure almond extract
Two teaspoons baking soda
Two teaspoons salt
Two teaspoons powdered Cassia Cinnamon sticks
Three cups all-purpose flour
Two cups white sugar

Optional Topping:
Three-fourths cup flour
One-fourth cup sugar
Two teaspoons powdered cassia cinnamon
Six tablespoons butter at room temperature

Directions:
Peel, core and slice apples into 1” chunks.
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until fluffy with an electric mixer. Add oil and beat till combined. Add extracts, baking soda, salt and cinnamon till thoroughly mixed.
Add flour and sugar, mix on low till blended.
Turn to high and beat until smooth. The batter will be thick.
Fold in chopped apples by hand.
Divide mixture in two and spoon into pans.

For optional topping:
Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon
Cut in butter with a fork until moist and crumbly.
Sprinkle on each loaf.

Bake one hour on Center rack. Should feel firm when touched in middle.
Place on cooling rack for five minutes. Remove from pans. Can be frozen.