Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a deliciously sweet spice that comes from the inner bark of the Cinnamomum tree. There are in fact two types of cinnamon; ‘true cinnamon’ is grown in Sri Lanka and less well known in the UK. The other type is ‘cassia cinnamon’ which comes from the Cinnamomum cassis tree, originating from southern China and hence also referred to as Chinese cinnamon. On close inspection they look slightly different, and their essential oil makeup varies hugely. True cinnamon is lighter in colour and the inner bark is stripped and dried to form thin paper layers coiled around each other. These are called cinnamon sticks or quills. Cassia cinnamon is a darker brown colour and is thicker with a rougher, woodier texture than the Sri Lankan variety. The cassia variety has the stronger flavour and is most commonly consumed around the world. For most of my dishes, I cook with the whole spice instead of its powdered form. You can use either cinnamon sticks or cassia bark in my recipes, whichever you find easiest to source.