What Is Cinnamon?

What do cinnamon rolls, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and cinnamon-sugar donuts all have in common? They’re all things that I had for breakfast this morning! Oh, and they’re all flavored with cinnamon. Cinnamon is a versatile spice that signals in the coming fall season—cinnamon spiced stuff is way better than pumpkin spice stuff. There, I said it. 

But what is cinnamon, exactly? Where does cinnamon come from? How is cinnamon made? Can you eat cinnamon sticks? Does cinnamon go bad? Let’s get spicy with some cinnamon.

What is cinnamon?

Cinnamon is a warming, aromatic spice made from certain trees that is used in all sorts of cuisines. Cinnamon can be found in baked goods, snacks, breakfast foods, teas, candies, and even in savory dishes. Cinnamon used to be more valuable than gold. It was the most profitable spice back in the day for those jerks over at the Dutch East India Company. 

Where does cinnamon come from?

So where does this wonderful spice come from? And how is cinnamon made? Well, cinnamon comes from the inner bark of a couple of different trees. See, there is something called “true” cinnamon, and then there’s the stuff at most grocery stores in the U.S. True cinnamon is called Ceylon cinnamon, or Cinnamomum verum. It comes from trees grown in Sri Lanka. It is medium brown with a slightly sweet flavor. The more commonly seen cinnamon is Cinnamomum cassia, or Cassia cinnamon. This cinnamon is grown in China and throughout Southeast Asia. This cinnamon is just a little more bitter. 

To make cinnamon, trees from genus Cinnamomum are harvested and their outer bark stripped away. That inner bark is pretty wet so it’s laid out to dry. While it’s drying, it curls making those instantly recognizable curled cinnamon sticks. Then, it’s cut into small pieces to be sold as sticks, or ground up to be sold as a spice. 

Does cinnamon go bad?

Once you buy it and have it in your cupboard, how long does cinnamon last? A long time. Cinnamon will last for years. It won’t go bad. However, after a few months it will begin to lose its potency. If you compare two-month-old cinnamon to two-year-old cinnamon, the two-month-old stuff will be stronger.

Can you eat cinnamon sticks? 

If you’re anything like me, you’ve always wondered if you could just eat the whole cinnamon stick in your mulled cider. So, can you eat cinnamon sticks? The good news is, yes, you can! The bad news is, if you have a coumarin sensitivity it could kill you. Cassia cinnamon contains a compound called coumarin, which is toxic in high doses. One cinnamon stick isn’t a high dose but if you’re already sensitive to it, it could be too much. Also, eating cinnamon can be a choking hazard. So, I’lm going to stick to eating straight up sugar and passing on the cinnamon sticks.