Ceylon Cinnamon

• KINGDOM:  Plantae
• CLADE:  Tracheophytes
• CLADE:  Angiosperms
• CLADE:  Magnoliids
• ORDER:  Laurales
• FAMILY:  Lauraceae
• GENUS:  Cinnamomum
• SPECIES:  Cinnamomum verum

• English:  cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon, true cinnamon, Sri Lankan cinnamon, soft cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon quills
• Spanish:  canela, canela de Ceilán, canela verdadera
• Portuguese:  canela do Ceilão, canela verdadeira
• French:  cannelle de Ceylan, vraie cannelle
• Italian:  cannella di Ceylon, cannella vera
• German: Ceylon-Zimt, echter Zimt
• Dutch:  ceylonkaneel, echte kaneel
• Czech:  cejlonská skořice, pravá skořice
• Hungarian:  ceyloni fahéj, valódi fahéj
• Danish:  Ceylon-kanel, ægte kanel
• Norwegian:  ceylonkanel, ekte kanel
• Swedish:  Ceylonkanel, äkta kanel
• Finnish:  Ceyloninkaneli, aito kaneli
• Polish:  cynamon cejloński, prawdziwy cynamon
• Greek:  kanéla Keïlánis, kanéla Sri Lanka
• Turkish:  Seylan tarçını, gerçek tarçın
• Hebrew:  kinamon tseyloni, kinamon amiti
• Arabic:  qirfat Saylān, qirfa ḥaqīqiyya
• Persian:  dārchīn-e Seylān, dārchīn-e vāqeʿī
• Swahili:  mdalasini
• Russian:  tseylonskaya koritsa, nastoyashchaya koritsa
• India
  • Hindi:  Silon dalchini, asli dalchini
  • Bengali:  Silon daruchini, asol daruchini
  • Gujarati:  Silon taj, asali taj
  • Marathi:  Silon dalchini, khari dalchini
  • Tamil:  sannalavangam, sannalavangappattai
  • Malayalam:  karuva, vayana
  • Sanskrit:  dārusitā, tanutvak
• Sinhala (Sri Lanka):  kurundu, satya kurundu
• Burmese:  hmanthin, thit kyabo
• Thai:  op choei thet
• Khmer (Cambodia):  chek tum phka loeng
• Vietnamese:  quế Sri Lanka
• Malay:  kayu manis Ceylon
• Indonesian:  kayu manis Ceylon
• Filipino:  kanela ng Ceylon, tunay na kanela
• China
  • Mandarin:  xīlán ròuguì
  • Cantonese:  sek laan juk gwai
• Korean:  sillon sinamon
• Japanese:  seiron nikkei, seiron shinamon

Note:  Languages that use only the common English spelling and have no distinct or widely used local name are not listed.

Ceylon cinnamon is one species, Cinnamomum verum. The word "cinnamon," however, stretches much further. Labels use it for three types of cassia, and it has been borrowed for unrelated trees that smell like it.

• Cassia (Cinnamomum cassia / Cinnamomum burmanni / Cinnamomum loureiroi)
  • Cassia covers three species, none of them Ceylon cinnamon: Chinese cassia; Indonesian cassia, sold as korintje or Padang cassia; and Saigon cinnamon, also sold as Vietnamese cinnamon and usually the strongest-flavored of the three. Which one you get from a label that just says cinnamon depends on the country. In the United States, cassia is routinely sold simply as cinnamon, as FDA labeling guidance allows. In Mexico, canela means Ceylon. Hindi dalchini and Persian darchin both mean "Chinese wood," a name from when cinnamon reached North India and Persia from China, and they cover every kind. Whole, cassia is easy to spot: it's a hard, thick roll of rougher bark, while Ceylon rolls into thin, papery quills of many layers. Good Indonesian bark comes close to Ceylon in quality, though, and is sometimes passed off as Ceylon for the higher price, so the quill test matters. Watch for the trade name cassia vera too: vera means "true," like the verum in Ceylon's botanical name, but cassia vera is Indonesian cassia. All three carry far more coumarin than Ceylon, which is why Germany's food safety agency advises people who eat a lot of cinnamon to choose Ceylon.
• American Cinnamon (Mespilodaphne quixos)
  • American cinnamon is ishpingo, a different tree from the Amazon foothills of Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru, and a cousin in the same laurel family. Its woody flower cups are the main spice. Because they smell like cinnamon, Ecuadorians commonly call them canela or flor de canela, so in Ecuador canela doesn't always mean cinnamon bark. They're two different spices, and colada morada, the spiced purple drink made for the Day of the Dead, uses both.
• Canella (Canella winterana)
  • Canella goes by wild cinnamon, white cinnamon, and cinnamon bark, but it's an unrelated tree from the Caribbean and southern Florida, in a different plant family altogether. It earned those names because its bark has long been used like cinnamon. Mind the spelling: canella with a double l is this tree, while canela with one l is simply Spanish for cinnamon.

The USDA doesn't differentiate between Ceylon and cassia cinnamon, so here are the nutrition facts for "cinnamon."

Source:  USDA FoodData Central: Cinnamon

Daily Value % based on a 2,000-calorie diet

Ceylon cinnamon is renowned the world over for its delicate sweetness and spice. It stands out as “true cinnamon” compared to its more potent cassia cousins due to its unique composition of flavor compounds. The clearest difference is in the concentrations of cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and coumarin. 

Cassia contains far more coumarin than Ceylon cinnamon (often hundreds of times more). Cassia contains around 0.1–1% coumarin by weight, while genuine Ceylon cinnamon normally contains only trace amounts. Coumarin can harm the liver in susceptible people when consumed regularly at sufficiently high doses, which is why Ceylon is the right choice for anyone who consumes cinnamon frequently or in large amounts.

Aromatic Compounds

• Cinnamaldehyde
  • The dominant aromatic compound in both Ceylon and cassia cinnamon, cinnamaldehyde is responsible for the sweet, warm, and spicy scent we associate with cinnamon. Cassia bark oil is often more heavily dominated by it (up to 90% of its essential oil), giving it a stronger, spicier, and more direct cinnamon character. True cinnamon's lower share (roughly 50–70%) leaves more room for the secondary compounds, which is why it tastes milder and more balanced.
  • Sweet, warm, spicy, and pungent.
• Eugenol
  • One of Ceylon's principal compounds and present in far greater amounts than in cassia, eugenol adds a warm, clove-like depth that gives true cinnamon much of its rounder, more layered aroma.
  • Warm, clove-like, spicy, and sweet.
• Linalool
  • Another of Ceylon's principal compounds, present in greater amounts than in cassia, linalool adds a soft floral note with hints of lavender and citrus.
  • Floral, sweet, lavender-like, and lightly citrusy.
• Benzyl Benzoate
  • Present in greater amounts than in cassia, benzyl benzoate contributes soft, sweet nuances to the aroma.
  • Sweet, balsamic, and faintly floral.
• Cinnamic Acid
  • Cinnamic acid contributes a mild, sweetly balsamic depth to true cinnamon.
  • Sweet, balsamic, and faintly honeyed.

Taste and Mouthfeel Compounds

• Tannins
  • Cinnamon bark carries tannins that lend a subtle, drying astringency, more noticeable in strong infusions.
  • Astringent, drying, and faintly bitter.
• Mucilage
  • A soluble fiber in the bark that can add body and a soft, coating quality, especially noticeable in ground cinnamon.
  • Smooth and lightly thickening.

Understanding Composition

• Chemical composition can vary widely, mainly in the concentrations of certain compounds. This variation causes differences in quality, which is why the best spices and herbs are often graded by the levels of key compounds that drive flavor, aroma, and color.
• Quality is affected by variety, age and freshness, region and terroir, environmental stressors, and potential adulteration. It's then further influenced by how the plant is handled at every stage: cultivation, harvesting, processing (drying, curing), shipping, storage, and preparation (grinding, grating, infusing, toasting). A magnificent spice or herb is a celebration of an immense journey, shaped by nature, the people who produce it, and the cook who delivers it to a dish.

• Cultural and Spiritual Significance
  • Sri Lanka:  Ceylon cinnamon is Sri Lanka's signature spice, and peeling it by hand is a traditional craft unique to the island. Skilled peelers strip the paper-thin inner bark and roll it into long quills, with layer packed inside layer. In 2022, the EU made "Ceylon Cinnamon" Sri Lanka's first protected geographical indication, recognizing both its origin and this traditional know-how.
• Traditional Medicine
  • In Sri Lanka's Ayurvedic tradition, cinnamon is a remedy for breathing, digestive, and women's health complaints, and nearly every part of the tree, from the bark and leaves to the roots, has some traditional use.
• Modern Medicine Research
  • A 2025 Sri Lankan trial of 150 adults found that a Ceylon cinnamon extract lowered fasting blood sugar, especially in people with type 2 diabetes, though it didn't significantly lower LDL cholesterol. Unlike cassia, Ceylon cinnamon contains only trace amounts of coumarin, a compound that can harm the liver in large amounts.
• Fragrances and Aromatherapy
  • Ceylon cinnamon leaf oil, distilled from the leaves trimmed during the bark harvest, is widely used as a fragrance in soaps, detergents, cosmetics, and perfumes, and it's a source of eugenol, which is used to make vanillin. The bark oil is used far less in perfumery because it can cause skin reactions. Aromatherapy also takes advantage of its warm, inviting scent.
• Oral Care
  • Ceylon cinnamon bark oil flavors dental products and mouth rinses.

• Cassia Cinnamon
  • This is the most ideal substitute, as it shares a similar flavor profile but with a more robust, powerful flavor. Keep in mind, though, that it has a significantly higher coumarin content, making it a riskier option for regular consumption. It is much more potent, so you can use half as much cassia as Ceylon cinnamon, and a little less still of Vietnamese (Saigon) cassia, the strongest type. Most supermarket "cinnamon" in North America is cassia, so you may already have some.
• Allspice
  • Allspice, with its combination of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg flavors, can be a good substitute for Ceylon cinnamon in baked goods and desserts, where its warm spice notes complement the sweetness of other ingredients. However, it has a more complex flavor profile than Ceylon cinnamon and may not be suitable for all recipes. Start with half the amount.
• Cloves + Nutmeg
  • This combination can mimic some of Ceylon cinnamon's warmth and sweetness, although it won't be as delicate. Use about 1 part cloves to 3 parts nutmeg, starting with about a quarter as much of the blend as Ceylon cinnamon.

Substitution Tips

• Incomplete Substitution:  All spices and herbs are too complex to match exactly, so focus on which aspects of their flavor, aroma, texture, or color you wish to replicate.
• Quantity:  Start with a small amount of the substitute and adjust to taste. It won't be a 1:1 exchange in flavor or potency.
• Context:  Consider the entire dish and how the substitute's full flavor profile will merge with the other ingredients.
• Experimentation:  Playing with substitutions is a great opportunity to explore how different flavors interact. If you approach it with curiosity, you may really enjoy the process and make some delicious discoveries along the way.

Ceylon cinnamon is “true cinnamon,” the cinnamon that cinnamon is supposed to taste like. With its delicate yet complex sweet warmth, it is the essence of the "cinnamon" spice. But throughout history, it's also been more than that: a symbol of luxury and power. To understand it properly, we must travel to the lush, tropical island of Sri Lanka, or as it was once called, Ceylon. Just off the southeastern tip of India, Sri Lanka's people harvested its wild cinnamon forests long before the spice became well-known to the outside world.

However, it still reached the Mediterranean remarkably early: residues of its key flavor compound have been found in Phoenician flasks from around 1000 BCE. But ancient writers used "cinnamon" and "cassia" loosely, so it's hard to say which barks they meant, and the two were often traded under the general term "cinnamon."

Arab traders, who controlled the sea routes to India and beyond, kept the source of all cinnamons a closely guarded secret, weaving elaborate tales of giant, winged creatures and dangerous serpents to protect their monopoly.

During the Middle Ages, demand soared. True cinnamon's delicate flavor and warm aroma made it a prized ingredient in both sweet and savory dishes, from spiced meats and stews to cakes, cookies, and wines. The spice's rarity and exotic origins enhanced its status to a symbol of wealth among the European elite.

The quest to seize control of the highly profitable Ceylon cinnamon trade drove European powers to find Sri Lanka. In 1505, the Portuguese became the first Europeans to set foot on the verdant, drop-shaped island. They built fortresses, seized control of the trade, and coerced the local population into harvesting it under harsh conditions, even making the destruction of cinnamon groves punishable by death. After a century and a half, the Dutch East India Company drove them out in 1658 and established an extensive monopoly that lasted for over a century. Between 1765 and 1785, Dutch governor Iman Willem Falck began cultivating cinnamon for the first time, proving that the wild tree could be grown on plantations.

The Dutch, in turn, were ousted by the British in 1796. The British kept the monopoly until 1833, when they opened the trade to private merchants, and ruled the island until Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948. During this period, cultivation spread to other tropical regions, including the Seychelles and Madagascar. However, the increasing availability of cassia cinnamon, which was cheaper and easier to cultivate, led to a decline in the dominance of Ceylon cinnamon in the global market.

Although it's no longer as rare or expensive as it once was, it still costs considerably more than cassia, and it is often preferred for its far lower coumarin content and more complex flavor and aroma profile. And since independence, Sri Lanka's cinnamon has been back in the hands of its original guardians.