Cinnamon is a sweet, warm spice that comes from the inner bark of tropical trees. When cinnamon trees are harvested, workers peel away the outer bark and carefully remove thin layers of the inner bark, which naturally curl into the familiar cinnamon sticks you might see in stores or floating in apple cider.

Ground cinnamon, the brownish powder found in most spice cabinets, adds flavor to countless foods: cinnamon rolls, oatmeal, pumpkin pie, snickerdoodle cookies, and toast. It has a distinctive taste that's both sweet and slightly spicy, without any real heat like pepper.

For thousands of years, cinnamon was one of the world's most valuable spices. Ancient traders transported it across vast distances, and for centuries Europeans didn't know where it actually came from, which made it extremely expensive and precious. Today it grows mainly in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

The word also describes a reddish-brown color, like cinnamon hair or a cinnamon-colored teddy bear. When you smell cinnamon baking in the oven, you're experiencing one of the most recognizable and beloved scents in cooking.