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during this year’s mcdonald’s “88 gold powder festival”, mcdonald’s apple pie returns as a classic item for a limited time.

as the first pie launched by mcdonald's in china, this is the fourth time that apple pie has entered the chinese market. from the "first pie" in 1993, to its brief return in 2014, to its one-day return in 2020, and finally to its limited-time return this year, although apple pie is no longer a permanent fixture in mcdonald's restaurants, it is still a common presence.

so why can’t apple pie stay in mcdonald’s permanently? the online discussion about the return of apple pie flavor may have given the answer.

the details of everyone's feedback on apple pie vary, but the most frequently mentioned description is still the same: the cinnamon flavor is too strong. many netizens said that they can't get used to the cinnamon flavor in apple pie.

image source: xiaohongshu @泽葵依井 @绝版小蛋糕 (all authorized)

as the "super three" in mcdonald's pie series, taro pie only contains taro, pineapple pie only contains pineapple, why does apple pie contain cinnamon that many people can't get used to?

there's not a lot of cinnamon in apple pie

although many netizens have reported that mcdonald’s apple pie has a very strong cinnamon flavor, and some even joked that “it might be better to change the name of apple pie to cinnamon pie,” in fact, according to mcdonald’s official allergen information, the cinnamon content in an apple pie is less than 2%.

allergen information for mcdonald's apple pie | source: screenshot of mcdonald's official website at mcdonalds.com

so why do people think mcdonald's apple pie has a strong cinnamon flavor?

this has to do with the nature of cinnamon itself.

there are two types of cinnamon that we come into contact with in daily life: chinese cinnamon and ceylon cinnamon. chinese cinnamon is native to southern my country and southeast asia, while ceylon cinnamon is native to sri lanka. ceylon cinnamon tastes sweeter than chinese cinnamon. after drying, thin layers can be seen. it is easy to grind into powder and has a fragrant and mild taste. chinese cinnamon is harder and more spicy, and is often sold in blocks.

the spicy and special taste comes from cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon, which is an aldehyde compound with a sweet and burning aroma. it has a certain degree of heat resistance. although under extremely high temperature conditions, cinnamaldehyde may partially volatilize or decompose, causing the smell to weaken, daily baking is not enough to completely "kill" its smell.

the cinnamon powder used to make apple pies nowadays generally does not distinguish between chinese cinnamon and ceylon cinnamon, as long as it is ground into powder. but no matter which kind of cinnamon it is, it is spicier and richer than other spices, and its smell is easier to capture.

why do you have to add cinnamon?

having said all that, there is still one question that remains unanswered: why is cinnamon necessary in apple pie?

mcdonald's apple pie is an american dish that has been on the menu since 1963. except for changing the classic round shape to a square shape, the rest of the recipe is basically the same as the traditional american recipe. among them, adding cinnamon is a very classic american apple pie recipe.

apple pie appeared in the recipe for the first american cookbook, american cookery, published in 1796, and cinnamon was included in the recipe.

the 18th-century american apple pie recipe already included cinnamon | source: michigan state university library digital repository: 1796 edition of american cookery

as time goes by, the recipe of american apple pie remains largely unchanged.

in 2021, former white house chef bill yosses shared a recipe for white house meals. the recipe for american apple pie in the 21st century is still roughly the same as that in the 18th century. three hundred years later, cinnamon still plays an important role in the process of making apple pie.

cinnamon powder on sugar in bill yosses' white house apple pie recipe | source: youtube@delish

from the 18th to the 21st century, adding cinnamon has become a part of the traditional american apple pie recipe. mcdonald's choice to add cinnamon to apple pie is a traditional practice.

in addition to following american tradition, mcdonald's apple pie with cinnamon may also have health considerations.

sweets like apple pie are always considered to be the driving force behind increased blood sugar and obesity, leading to diabetes. however, the results of a glycemic research survey conducted by the human nutrition research center of the u.s. department of agriculture (usda) show that apple pie from fast food restaurants such as mcdonald's can actually reduce blood sugar levels. the main person in charge of this study, usda chief scientist dr. richard anderson, conducted a series of studies on this and found that it is the cinnamon in apple pie that reduces blood sugar levels. more precisely, it is the cinnamone in cinnamon that can reduce blood sugar levels.

how does cinnamon lower blood sugar?

to understand this problem, we need to first know the cause of diabetes. there are two types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes is caused by the body's congenital lack of insulin, and type 2 diabetes is caused by the body's insulin, but the cells cannot use it normally. it's like the key (insulin) exists, but the lock (receptor on the cell) is rusty and can't open the door (can't let sugar enter the cell), causing sugar to remain in the blood and cause high blood sugar.

cinnamomum cassia acts like a lubricant that helps these "rusty" locks return to normal function, allowing the key (insulin) to open the door smoothly, allowing sugar to enter the cells and ultimately lowering blood sugar levels.

effect of cinnamon on blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes | source: reference 6

in china, the institute of nutritional sciences of the shanghai institutes for biological sciences of the chinese academy of sciences also conducted a study. they recruited 66 chinese patients with type 2 diabetes and conducted a comparative study on whether or not they took cinnamon extract orally. the results showed that cinnamon can significantly reduce the blood sugar level of patients with type 2 diabetes.

however, even if cinnamon can make apple pie healthier, many people still can't love apple pie with its strong cinnamon flavor.

cinnamon: “american curry”

the difficulty in accepting cinnamon in apple pie may be due to the differences in the use of cinnamon between china and the west.

as one of the origins of cinnamon, my country actually used cinnamon earlier. cinnamon is even one of the earliest spices known to the chinese. the "classic of mountains and seas·nanshan jing" and "lüshi chunqiu" in the warring states period both mentioned that the "zhaoyao mountain" in the south (later generations speculated that it refers to the guilin area in guangxi) produced delicious "cinnamon". "chu ci·nine songs" also has "hui yao steamed orchids, and offered cinnamon wine and pepper juice" and other realistic descriptions of the chu nobles mixing cinnamon with rice wine to offer to the gods.

although cinnamon has been used in my country for a long time, it rarely becomes an important part of dishes, but is mostly used as a chinese medicine. as early as in the compendium of materia medica, li shizhen, a medical scientist in the ming dynasty, recorded the effect of cinnamon in strengthening the yang and benefiting the liver. to this day, cinnamon is still a commonly used chinese medicine.

even when it is served on the table, the strong-smelling cinnamon is only used as a seasoning when chinese people cook soup or stew, and is not primarily eaten directly.

in western cuisine, cinnamon is used more frequently in cooking. it is not only used to boil water in chinese cooking, but is also often ground into powder and used in the preparation of various dishes, such as cinnamon rolls, cinnamon apple pie, cinnamon bread, etc. you can even see it in many unexpected places: american supermarkets have cinnamon ice cream, cinnamon baby food, cinnamon toothpaste and other unexpected combinations. americans use cinnamon very frequently, and cinnamon was once nicknamed "american curry."

various american ways to eat cinnamon in "american curry" | source: screenshot of @小火苗's american life video on xiaohongshu

it is normal that chinese taste buds, which rarely come into contact with cinnamon, are not used to apple pie with cinnamon. in response to the needs of chinese taste buds for pie products, mcdonald's told youqu report that the two pie products currently in china - pineapple pie and taro pie - have been specially designed according to the taste preferences of chinese consumers.

all i can say is that for chinese taste buds, the cinnamon flavor is very strong, which can be regarded as a major memorable point of mcdonald's apple pie.