True Cinnamon

The cinnamon the world calls Ceylon

True cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum, is native to Sri Lanka, and the island is still its home. It is not the thick, hard bark sold as cinnamon in most supermarkets (that is cassia, a different species). True cinnamon is the paper-thin inner bark of the tree, rolled by hand into long quills made of many fragile layers, then dried until they snap with a soft crunch.

The work is slow and skilled. Shoots are cut from the cinnamon bush, the outer bark is scraped away, and the inner bark is peeled in strips and rolled one inside another to form a quill. The quills dry in the shade and are cut to length. Our quills come from the southern coast of Sri Lanka, where the cinnamon belt has been worked for generations.

In the tin you will find sweet, warm cinnamon with a gentle floral note and a hint of orange peel. It is far more delicate than cassia, which is why it suits both baking and savoury cooking: it perfumes a dish without taking it over. Because the layers are so thin, a quill grinds easily with a spice mill or a fine grater.

Drop a quill into rice, milk tea, a pot of curry or a poaching syrup and lift it out when the flavour is right. Grind a little over apples, oatmeal or coffee. Keep the tin closed and away from heat, and the quills hold their aroma for months.