Mondo Knows Facts
Most supermarket cinnamon is cassia, not Ceylon
Cassia bark is thick and single-layered, Ceylon cinnamon is thin and flaky
Ceylon cinnamon comes from Cinnamomum verum and rolls into thin, many-layered quills that crumble easily, with a gentler, citrusy aroma. Cassia is Cinnamomum cassia, a thicker single curl with a stronger, sweeter bite, and it is what most spice jars contain. The two are sold under the same name in many countries.
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Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.
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Tags: cinnamon, spices, cassia
Most supermarket cinnamon is cassia, not Ceylon: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Cassia bark is thick and single-layered, Ceylon cinnamon is thin and flaky. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
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