Cassia
 
Cassia is the dried husk or bark of a small, bushy evergreen tree and is considered inferior to cinnamon. Its quill has a single ½ mm thickness layer.

It is used as a flavoring agent in many products such as candies, desserts, baked goods, and meat. It is also used in beverages, perfumery, toiletries and cosmetics, while the oil of cassia finds extensive application in liquors and beauty products.

Cassia contains 4% essential oil of which 75 to 90% has cinnamic aldehyde and there are traces of eugenol along with small amounts of coumarin. It is the spice mentioned in the bible and hence is regarded as the first cinnamon species that was known and used centuries ago.

In India, cassia is grown in the North-Eastern states and in the evergreen tracts along the high ranges of the Western Ghats. There are different varieties of cassia, obtained from different species of Cinnamomum and originating from different sources.

Sometimes, Cassia is assumed as cinnamon, due to certain similarities, mainly their origin being the bark of bushy evergreen tree. But there are differences between the two. Cassia is a much thicker, coarser product than cinnamon.

Cassia is sold as pieces of bark or as neat quills or sticks. Its sticks are extremely hard and are usually made up of one thick layer. Cassia tastes slightly bitter and it lacks the liveliness of cinnamon. It is often used as a less costly substitute to true cinnamon.

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