In the weeks before Christmas, the motto is always:Bake what it takes! Spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon or cloves are indispensable here – although they are also used all year round, they combine to create delicious Christmas flavours. Such herbs are not only delicious, they often have healthy properties (provided they are not consumed in excess!).
Basically, it's a matter of quantity and ingredients. It goes without saying that Christmas cookies are not the healthiest food – simply because they are usually quite high in calories from sugar and butter. However, if you opt for whole wheat flour, healthy herbs and fats and do not overdo the food, then Christmas cookies can not only caress the soul.
One of the best-known Christmas spices is real cinnamon (cinnamon bark, Cinnamomum aromaticum). Cinnamon is mentioned in the first Chinese herbal book of Emperor Shen Nung (c. 2700 BC) and is one of the oldest spices. Essential oils and tannins, among other things, are responsible for the healing effect and the spicy taste of the dried cinnamon bark, which is said to have an antibacterial, antispasmodic and analgesic effect. When used in food, cinnamon is said to help with loss of appetite, nausea, flatulence and other gastrointestinal disorders.
The cheaper cassia cinnamon ("Chinese cinnamon", Cinnamomum aromaticum) and the Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) from Sri Lanka are known. The aroma of the cinnamon tree is mainly due to the cinnamon oil. Cassia cinnamon also contains higher levels of coumarin, which is only found in small amounts in Ceylon cinnamon. Since coumarin is classified as “harmful to health”, it should not be used in large amounts and over an extended period of time. The content of cinnamon stars and gingerbread can be particularly high.
In the 16th century, even a tiny pinch of nutmeg was so expensive that it was known as the “gold of eastern India”. The British, Spaniards, Portuguese and Dutch even fought over nutmeg. As a medicinal plant, it was used by indigenous peoples in Asia for ailments such as loss of appetite, stomach problems or circulatory disorders. This corresponds to the current application in naturopathy, which also uses it for nervous physical complaints. However, do not use too much or even a whole nutmeg:in higher doses they are poisonous.
Mace has a much more elegant flavor than the sour nutmeg. It tastes a bit like nutmeg, cloves and a little honey. However, the term "mace" is misleading, because a blossom is not a mace, but the dried seed coat of the nutmeg. Like this one, it is said to have an antispasmodic and digestive effect.
Cloves are the hand-picked and dried flower buds of the carnation tree, which can grow up to 20 meters in height. Antiseptic, bactericidal, fungicidal (against fungi) and anti-virus (anti-virus) effects are attributed to it. The essential oils have an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect. They are therefore very suitable for inflammatory changes in the mucous membrane of the mouth and throat. Even with bad breath or a strange taste in the mouth, chewing a clove would prove itself, as well as with a toothache.
