Cinnamon comes from either the Ceylon Cinnamon tree or the Cassia tree. The tree is grown for two to three years and then coppiced (the tree is cut back to ground level, covered with soil, and then the shoots are allowed to grow out of it). Once the shoots have grown out of the stump, they are cut off and then stripped of their bark, which is laid out in the sun to dry. When the bark dries, it curls into “quills” (or what we call sticks) and then is packaged and shipped. For the ground cinnamon, the sticks are ground up gently and you’re done!
Paprika is a spice made from dried and then ground, sweet bell or chili peppers. Hot, sweet, smoked, plain, Spanish, Hungarian – There are many different variations of paprika and it’s the fourth most used spice in the world. One use for paprika is coloring. Whenever a dish is bland and colorless, paprika is generally heated and added; because when heated, paprika releases its color and flavor.
Ground mustard (also known as dry mustard) is made from ground mustard seeds. Not only are the seeds of the mustard plant used, but the leaves and stalk can be used as well. There are three different kinds of mustard seeds; white (or yellow), brown (Asian), and black. Black mustard seeds have mostly been replaced by brown seeds as they can be grown and harvested more economically. In terms of how pungent the seeds are, black is much more pungent than the mild white seeds, while the brown seeds are in between them.
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