🇸🇦 Arabicar
قرفة سيلانية
qirfa saylaniyya
Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka
Ceylon Cinnamon
0.5–1%
essential oil content
of dry bark
50–65%
cinnamaldehyde share
of the volatile oil
<0.005%
coumarin content
100× less than cassia
4 g
outturn per quill
5 g finest Alba grade
Visual atlas
Profile
Cinnamomum verum, also known as true cinnamon or Ceylon cinnamon is a small evergreen tree belonging to the family Lauraceae, native to Sri Lanka. The inner bark of the tree is historically regarded as the spice cinnamon, though this term was later generalized to include C. cassia as well.
Ceylon cinnamon is Cinnamomum verum, the only species the European pharmacopoeia recognises under the bare word "cinnamon". It grows almost exclusively on the wet southwest belt of Sri Lanka, around Negombo, Galle and Matara, where monsoon air meets coral-sand soil. The prized finished product is a pencil-thin multi-quill: up to ten feather-fine inner bark strips hand-rolled into a single cigar. The aroma is softer than cassia, carrying a distinct eugenol note closer to clove and allspice, a whisper of citrus, and almost no coumarin, which is why it is the only cinnamon paediatricians still endorse. Graded Alba, C5 Special, M5 down to H1 based on quill diameter and cleanliness, Alba being the finest.
Origin
Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka · Negombo, Sri Lanka
Process
01Year 2–3
First coppicing
Saplings cut low when trunks reach pencil-thickness. Coppice shoots will give the thin bark Ceylon is famous for.
02May–Aug
Rainy-season harvest
Shoots cut after monsoons soften the bark — two cuttings a year, morning harvest only, before sap concentrates.
03Same day
Peeling by hand
The koskola peeler scrapes outer cork, then lifts the thin inner bark in long sheets with a brass rod.
0424 h
Telescoping
Hundreds of thin sheets nested and telescoped into a single quill — a craft passed father to son in the Salagama caste.
054–5 days
Shade-drying
Laid on mats indoors — direct sun bleaches and cracks Ceylon. Daily turning, humidity-controlled, until quills are rigid.
06Grading
Alba to C4
Alba (finest, 6 mm) to Continental C5, C4 (coarser). Graded by quill thickness, color, and outturn per kg.
Inside the berry
The molecules that make it taste like Kampot — and not like anything else.
GC-MS of Sri Lankan C. verum Alba grade: cinnamaldehyde leads but eugenol, linalool, and benzyl benzoate build a floral-spicy bouquet.
0.8%
Essential oil
Alba grade bark
58%
Cinnamaldehyde
of the volatile oil
7%
Eugenol
Ceylon's signature
100+
Volatile compounds
identified across grades
Volatile compound profile
- Cinnamaldehyde58.0%
The sweet warmth — softer than in cassia, leaves room for other notes.
- Eugenol7.2%
Clove-like warmth — the Ceylon signature, absent in most cassia.
- Benzyl benzoate6.5%
Soft balsamic, adds depth without sharpness.
- Linalool4.3%
Floral lavender, lifts the profile toward perfume.
- Cinnamyl acetate3.8%
Fruity-floral bridge between cinnamaldehyde and eugenol.
- β-caryophyllene3.1%
Woody-peppery, quiet base note.
- Coumarin0.0%
Trace only — 100× less than cassia.
Versus other peppers
| Pepper | Cinnamaldehyde | Essential oil |
|---|---|---|
★ Alba (Sri Lanka) Negombo · finest 6 mm quills | 1.1% | 0.9% |
C5 Special Matale · export premium | 0.9% | 0.8% |
C5 Regular Kandy · mainstream grade | 0.8% | 0.7% |
C4 Coarser, industrial baking | 0.7% | 0.6% |
Cassia (for contrast) Vietnam · 100× more coumarin | 4.5% | 1.8% |
Cuisines
How the world cooks with it.
3 signature dishes
Ceylon cinnamon flavors the island's rice, curries, and sweets — the bark is an everyday seasoning, not a dessert-only spice.
- Kiribathgrade: alba
Coconut milk rice perfumed with a Ceylon quill — served with lunumiris at dawn.
- Lampraisgrade: c5-special
Dutch-Burgher rice parcel with beef, fish cutlet, and Ceylon cinnamon in the masala.
- Fish ambul thiyalgrade: c5
Sour-fish curry with goraka, pepper, and Ceylon cinnamon.
Around the world
What it's called, from Phnom Penh to Palermo.
🇧🇩 Bengalibn
সিলন দারুচিনি
silon daruchini
🇨🇳 Chinesezh
錫蘭肉桂
xīlán ròuguì
🇳🇱 Dutchnl
Ceylon kaneel
🇬🇧 Englishen
Ceylon Cinnamon
🇫🇷 Frenchfr
Cannelle de Ceylan
🇩🇪 Germande
Ceylon-Zimt
🇮🇳 Hindihi
असली दालचीनी
asli dalchini
🇮🇩 Indonesianid
Kayu manis Ceylon
🇮🇹 Italianit
Cannella di Ceylon
🇯🇵 Japaneseja
セイロンシナモン
seiron shinamon
🇰🇷 Koreanko
실론 계피
sillon gyepi
🇲🇾 Malayms
Kayu manis Ceylon
🇵🇹 Portuguesept
Canela do Ceilão
🇷🇺 Russianru
Цейлонская корица
tseylonskaya koritsa
SIsi
කුරුඳු
kurundu
🇪🇸 Spanishes
Canela de Ceilán
🇮🇳 Tamilta
இலங்கை இலவங்கப்பட்டை
ilangai ilavangapattai
🇹🇭 Thaith
อบเชยซีลอน
op choei silon
🇹🇷 Turkishtr
Seylan tarçını
🇵🇰 Urduur
سیلون دارچینی
ceylon darchini
🇻🇳 Vietnamesevi
Quế Ceylon
Seasonality
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Peak monsoon harvestShoulder harvestAged quills, available
Pairings
Sweet
- Dark chocolate truffles
Drink
- Chai masala
- Mulled wine & sangría
Frequent questions
Botanically, only Cinnamomum verum (literally 'true cinnamon') bears the name in strict usage. Cassia species — C. cassia, C. loureiroi, C. burmannii — are all labelled 'cinnamon' in commerce but are genetically distinct, with much higher coumarin. EU and Sri Lankan regulators enforce the distinction; US labels often don't, which is why American 'cinnamon' is usually cassia.