Spice
Cinnamomum cassia
S tier
Cinnamomum cassia is Chinese cassia—the thick-barked tree whose dried bark supplies much of the world’s “cinnamon” powder: red-brown, pungent, sweet-hot, and higher in coumarin than true Ceylon. Quills are hard single scrolls, not many tissue layers. Flavour is bold enough for American-style cinnamon rolls and savoury braises. Use when you want punch and colour. A little goes far in spice blends. This species name anchors Chinese cassia as a botanical product distinct from verum, burmannii, and loureiroi.
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Characteristics
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History
Chinese cassia bark was used in cookery and traditional medicine for millennia.
Cassia entered Mediterranean trade as a cinnamon-like luxury bark.
Export of C. cassia expanded as cheap abundant cinnamon substitute abroad.
Global grocery cinnamon was often cassia even when labelled simply cinnamon.