Cinnamon is a spice used in both sweet and savory foods. It is taken from the bark of the Cinnamomum genus of aromatic trees of the Lauraceae family. Several varieties are used with the Cinnamomum verum tree being considered the true cinnamon. In the United States Cassia cinnamon is the most widely sold variety.
Cinnamon is a tree native to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India’s Malabar Coast and Myanmar (Burma). It was a highly prized and very expensive ingredient back when the spice trade was at it’s peak. Sri Lanka now supplies between 80 and 90 percent of the cinnamon used worldwide.
Cooking substitutes for cinnamon in the kitchen are allspice and nutmeg.
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