Cinnamon

Cinnamon, the edible bark of a tree native to Sri Lanka, is probably the most popular cooking spice in the Western world. The innermost layer of the bark is sold as thin, fragile quills in India (darchini), Sri Lanka (kurundu), Indonesia (kayu manis) and Malaysia and Singapore (kulit kayu manis) and is used for flavouring meat, poultry and desserts. The spice is also available powdered, but its flavour and aroma dissipate rather quickly in this form.