Cinnamon

Cinnamon is the dried bark of an evergreen tree indigenous to Sri Lanka. It has a warm, spicy smell, which is comforting and seductive, almost addictive, and the taste is naturally sweet with a slight smokiness. Sometimes, cinnamon is confused with cassia, which is really like a cheap cousin, rougher in texture and not so rich in flavour, but a good substitute in syrups and brews. On the flavour spectrum, cinnamon marries with cardamom, cloves, ginger, vanilla, cumin, coconut, chocolate, apricots, apples, plums, cherries, oranges, bananas, pears, almonds, pistachios, pine nuts, walnuts and honey.