Editing Cinnamon (section)

{{Short description|Spice from Cinnamomum trees}}
{{About|the spice|the genus of trees where cinnamon originates| Cinnamomum|other uses}}{{pp-pc|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
[[File:Cinnamomum verum spices.jpg|thumb|Dried bark strips, bark powder and flowers of the small tree ''[[Cinnamomum verum]]'']]
'''Cinnamon''' is a [[spice]] obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''[[Cinnamomum]]''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic [[condiment]] and flavouring additive in a wide variety of [[cuisine]]s, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, [[breakfast cereal]]s, [[Snack|snack food]]s, [[bagel]]s, [[tea]]s, [[hot chocolate]] and [[traditional food]]s. The aroma and flavour of cinnamon derive from its [[essential oil]] and principal component, [[cinnamaldehyde]], as well as numerous other constituents including [[eugenol]].
[[File:Cinnamomum verum - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-182.jpg|thumb|''[[Cinnamomum verum]]'', from Koehler's ''Medicinal-Plants'' (1887)]]
[[File:Baton de cannelle.jpg|thumb|Close-up view of raw cinnamon bark]]

Cinnamon is the name for several species of trees and the commercial spice products that some of them produce. All are members of the genus ''Cinnamomum'' in the family [[Lauraceae]]. Only a few ''Cinnamomum'' species are grown commercially for spice. ''[[Cinnamomum verum]]'' (alternatively ''C. zeylanicum''), known as "Ceylon cinnamon" after its origins in [[Sri Lanka]] (formerly Ceylon), is considered to be "true cinnamon",<ref name=eb>{{Cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/plant/cinnamon |title=Encyclopaedia Britannica article on Cinnamon, plant and spice |access-date=10 July 2022 |archive-date=18 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230818160253/https://www.britannica.com/plant/cinnamon |url-status=live }}</ref> but most cinnamon in international commerce is derived from four other species, usually and more correctly referred to as "cassia": ''[[Cinnamomum burmanni|C. burmanni]]'' (Indonesian cinnamon or Padang cassia), ''[[Cinnamomum cassia|C. cassia]]'' (Chinese cinnamon or Chinese cassia), ''[[Saigon cinnamon|C. loureiroi]]'' (Saigon cinnamon or Vietnamese cassia), and the less common ''[[Cinnamomum citriodorum|C. citriodorum]]'' (Malabar cinnamon).<ref name=eb /><ref name=fao93>{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/x5326e/x5326e07.htm|title=International trade in non-wood forest products: An overview|last=Iqbal|first=Mohammed|year=1993|work=FO: Misc/93/11 – Working Paper|publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations|access-date=12 November 2012|archive-date=16 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190316134503/http://www.fao.org/3/x5326e/x5326e07.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=HistoryFood>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QmevzbQ0AsIC|title=A history of food|year=2009|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|isbn=978-1405181198|edition=New expanded|location=Chichester, West Sussex|quote=Cassia, also known as cinnamon or Chinese cinnamon is a tree that has bark similar to that of cinnamon but with a rather pungent odour|last1=Toussaint-Samat|first1=Maguelonne |translator=Anthea Bell}}</ref> 

In 2023, world production of cinnamon was 238,403 [[tonne]]s, led by China with 39% of the total.<ref name=faostat/>