Ingredient: Cinnamon

Cinnamon is one of the oldest known spices in the world; it was traded by the ancient Egyptians and commanded immense prices. It is made from the dried bark of cinnamon trees which curl into cinnamon sticks and are ground up to make cinnamon powder.

Ceylon cinnamon, often called “true cinnamon,” is particularly prized for its delicate flavour and lower levels of a substance called coumarin. Cassia cinnamon on the other hand is less coveted as it contains more of this coumarin which is a flavour compound similar to vanilla, and in large quantities it may not be good for you.

Cinnamon has a warm and woody sweetness that infuses and enhances fruit, rice, grains and even slow-cooked meats. It has the power to lift a simple bowl of porridge or transform a spiced stew into something sumptuous and evocative. Its sweet aromatic flavour makes it a beloved spice in kitchens across the world, and it’s one of the first spices I cooked with as a child.

As well as adding a pinch of magic (cinnamon does not taste sweet but it enhances the sweetness of other ingredients) to baked goods and crumbles, it’s rich in antioxidants, thought to steady blood glucose and can soothe inflammation.