Flavor: Sweet/Aromatic/Warm
Major Flavour Compound: Cinnamaldehyde
Parts Used: Dried bark
True cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), or Ceylon cinnamon, is a laurel-family spice native to Sri Lanka, produced from the sun-dried inner bark of young coppiced shoots rolled into delicate quills. Its flavor is sweet, aromatic, and gently warming, driven by cinnamaldehyde, with woody, floral, and lightly medicinal nuances from caryophyllene, linalool, and eugenol. Unlike cassia, it contains negligible coumarin. Valued since ancient Egypt and long shrouded in trade myths, true cinnamon is used across the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. Its flavor disperses best when added early and cooked with fat or alcohol; whole sticks retain aroma longer than ground powder.
