All About Cinnamon: Spice and Everything Nice

Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of trees belonging to the Cinnamomum genus. It is known for its distinct flavor and aroma and has been used historically for its potential medicinal properties.
Category
Spice
Where to get
Easily accessible in grocery stores and markets.
Applicable for
Prepared by Shruti Sahoo, reviewed by Dr. Eugene Smith

Cinnamon FAQ


Image credit: tasteofhome.com

What is cinnamon used for?

Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus Cinnamomum. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfast cereals, snack foods, bagels, teas, hot chocolate and traditional foods.

What is a cinnamon tree?

The cinnamon we know and love this time of year is actually the bark of a tree, available either as a whole dried “quill”, or ground into powder. There are quite a few varieties of cinnamon, but the ones we really care about fall into 2 main camps:

What is cinnamon made from?

Cinnamon is a spice made from certain types of trees. Extracts from the bark as well as leaves, flowers, fruits, and roots of the cinnamon tree have been used in traditional medicine around the world for thousands of years. It’s used in cooking and baking and is added to many foods. There are four major types of cinnamon.

Where does cinnamon come from?

Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), the neighbouring Malabar Coast of India, and Myanmar (Burma) and is also cultivated in South America and the West Indies. The spice, consisting of the dried inner bark, is brown in colour and has a delicately fragrant aroma and a warm sweet flavour.

Is cinnamon a tree?

Cinnamon is the name for several species of trees and the commercial spice products that some of them produce. All are members of the genus Cinnamomum in the family Lauraceae. Only a few Cinnamomum species are grown commercially for spice.

Cinnamon References

If you want to know more about Cinnamon, consider exploring links below:

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