Cinnamon is the dried inner bark of various evergreen trees belonging to the genus Cinnamomum. This species is mostly cultivated in Sri Lanka, Malagasy Republic, and Seychelles. At harvest, the bark is stripped off and put in the sun, where it curls into the familiar form called "quills."
Cinnamon leaf and bark are spices and sources of cinnamon oil, primary from the Cinnamomum verum J. Presl. The bark, oil and oleoresin are the economically important products. Bark either as small piece or as powder is extensively used as spice or condiment.
Cinnamon in the ground form is used in baked dishes, with fruits, and in confections. Cassia is predominant in the spice blends of the East and Southeast Asia. Cinnamon is used in moles, and berbere.
Cinnamon is also an important ingredient in the Indian spice mix garam masala.
The color of cinnamon is about reddish and brown. It produces sweet and pungent flavor. Cinnamon is characteristically woody, musty and earthy in flavor and aroma.
It is warming to taste. The finer the grind, the more quickly the Cinnamon is perceived by the taste buds.
Commercial production of cinnamon usually begins about 3-4 years after planting and pruning of the stems to force the growth of young stems.
These stems are cut during the rainy season to facilitate the peeling of the bark.
The spice of cinnamon
