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How to check cinnamon for bugs

Does it need checking? Cinnamon is not commonly infested (presumed clean), in both the USA and Israel. (Rav Moshe Vaya) For whole cinnamon sticks, there is an easy check.

Rav Vaya’s rating

USA✓not commonly infested (muchzak k’naki)
Israel✓not commonly infested (muchzak k’naki)

Rav Moshe Vaya, Bedikat HaMazon K’Halacha, Degree of Infestation chart, p. 939 (Cinnamon)

Which bugs

  • A small bug can be inside a whole cinnamon stick. One was found falling out while checking a stick.

How to check

  1. Bang the whole cinnamon stick on a light box.
  2. It is even better to open the stick a little and loosen it, so anything inside falls out.
  3. After banging it enough, look very closely at what fell. Check whether there is anything besides dirt and cinnamon pieces.

Watch

▶ How to Check Cinnamon Sticks

▶ How to Clean Cinnamon Sticks

Pictures

A cinnamon stick held over a light box, with broken pieces and debris scattered on it
A cinnamon stick held over a light box, with broken pieces and debris scattered on it. (“How to Check Cinnamon Sticks”, 0:08)
A pointer shows a small bug that fell out of the stick, among the debris on the light box
A pointer shows a small bug that fell out of the stick, among the debris on the light box. (“How to Check Cinnamon Sticks”, 0:44)

Sources

  • Rav Moshe Vaya, Bedikat HaMazon K’Halacha, Degree of Infestation chart, p. 939 (rating).

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