Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Nees) comes only from the island of Ceylon [Sri Lanka] and the Malabar coast of India. The flavor is sweet and very delicate; when ground, cinnamon is a bright light-brown color, almost yellowish. The spice which is usually called cinnamon is really cassia: the dried ground bark of any species of the evergreen tree, the Cinnamomum, which belongs to the laurel, Lauraceae, family. Practically all the cinnamon used in the United States is cassia, which has the stronger flavor and is a rich reddish-brown. It is the inner bark which is ground into the higest-grade spice. As the quills dry, they curl to form the familiar cinnamon sticks about 1 inch in diameter. The uses of ground cinnamon are almost too well known to enumerate. We know the warm, sweet taste of cinnamon on and in bread, buns, cakes, toast, stewed fruits, relishes, cold and hot milk drinks, pies, puddings, dumplings and desserts. But one of its newest and most delicious uses is in the flavoring of ice cream. Meats, too, may be lightly sprinkled with cinnamon, especially when cloves are included. Meat stews and boiled smoked shoulders are more than delicious when cinnamon is added while they are cooking. Squash baked with butter and cinnamon is far less flat than just plain squash. Quills and sticks of cinnamon are almost as popular in cooking as is the ground cinnamon. Catsup, pickles, pickling vinegars, relishes, stewed fruits, chocolate drinks, hot herb teas, mulled wines, and even coffee are now flavored with this delicious spice.

Source: Miloradovich, Milo (1950). Cooking with Herbs and Spices. New York: Dover; pp. 211-212.