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PHOTO BY ROMNEY CARUSO If you traveled to Sri Lanka, you would encounter a cinnamon very different from our own (just as if you bought a bottle of Coke there, it would taste entirely different). There are four main types of cinnamon. Cinnamomum verum , also called Ceylon cinnamon, is native to Sri Lanka. Cinnamomum burmannii , or Korintje cinnamon, is grown across Southeast Asia. Cinnamomum loureiroi , sometimes called royal cinnamon or Saigon cinnamon, is a Vietnam species. And Cinnamomum cassia — or more famously, cassia cinnamon — is grown widely across Asia, extensively in China, and even domestically. It is so popular here that we don’t even need to specify its species: We just call it “cinnamon.” Cinnamon, in other words, is more than a single thing. Indeed, most spices have all sorts of variations. Curry, pepper, paprika — they each have special variations with subtle differences in their flavor profiles. Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices that humans have ever known. The ancient Babylonians were trading it four and a half millennia ago. And it wasn’t always just a food flavoring. It was also a meat preservative — very important in the days before the Rouses meat department came along. The ancient Egyptians used it for mummifying their pharaohs and elites. You could burn it for ceremonies religious and otherwise. The stuff smells great. But it was expensive. You are living in the golden age of cinnamon. By David W. Brown Few things conjure the spirit of the holidays like cinnamon, the spice renowned as an improver of lattes, maker of swirly rolls, and French ifier of toast. Love pumpkin spice? Then you love cinnamon, which is a key ingredient. Interestingly, the ubiquitous spice has a species that is tightly embraced in this part of the world. If you traveled to Southeast Asia, Christmas would smell slightly different. Why? Because there are all sorts of cinnamons, each unique in its own way. T he holidays mean you are probably seasoning the daylights out of all manner of food and drink. Cinnamon in your coffee, cinnamon on your pie, cinnamon in your spice rack — to us, that cinnamon is the real cinnamon. It just happens to be the special kind of cinnamon that is embraced in the United States and perhaps best suited to our dishes. The rolls, the twists, and the Toast Crunch — they use a variety of cinnamon called cassia cinnamon. Your house swirls with the strongest scent of Hallmark movies out there. The spice you bought from Rouses Markets with “Cinnamon” on the label is a variety called cassia cinnamon.

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