Weekend food with Darina Allen: Sri Lankan cinnamon

Sri Lanka is the largest producer of real cinnamon in the world. It is a beautiful gentle spice which has been used both for cooking and medicine since ancient times.

Much of what is sold as cinnamon is an inferior product called cassia which is less expensive but has a much stronger and more acrid flavour.

True cinnamon is native to the lush tropical forests of lovely Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, hence the name Ceylon cinnamon.