Where does cinnamon come from?

Cinnamon is a common spice that comes from the innermost layer of the bark of trees belonging to the genus Cinnamomum. There are dozens of varieties of evergreen trees within the genus Cinnamomum that produce cinnamon sticks and ground cinnamon.

To obtain cinnamon for commercial use, farmers first shave the outer part of the bark off of the trees. Next, they shave off the inner bark, which is the cinnamon. The inner bark is then dried and it naturally curls into quills. The dried up quills can be cut into uniform sticks or crushed into powder. The majority of the world's cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka.