Cinnamon

Cinnamon in U.S. food labeling is not one botanical. FDA’s GRAS spice list gives separate common names and plant sources ¹:

Common name on the list	Botanical name in the regulation
Cinnamon, Ceylon	Cinnamomum zeylanicum Nees
Cinnamon, Chinese	Cinnamomum cassia Blume
Cinnamon, Saigon	Cinnamomum loureirii Nees
Cassia, Chinese	Cinnamomum cassia Blume
Cassia, Padang or Batavia	Cinnamomum burmanni Blume
Cassia, Saigon	Cinnamomum loureirii Nees

Those are identity rows, not tasting notes. “Cinnamon” on a U.S. jar may legally be Chinese cinnamon (C. cassia) or Ceylon (C. zeylanicum) or Saigon (C. loureirii). Cassia names on the same list are the same three cassia species plus Padang/Batavia (C. burmanni). The regulation does not say one of these is “true” and the others counterfeit. It lists them.

If a formula means Ceylon, it should say so. If a supermarket tin says only “cinnamon,” the species is not specified by that word alone.

What to notice #

Ceylon quills (when you have them) are thin, layered, and brittle; cassia bark is often thicker and harder. Smell: clove-sweet versus harsher, more camphor-like heat — a sensory clue, not a lab ID. Ground cinnamon fades; whole bark keeps aroma longer. In dough it is a spice in Enriched dough, not a leavener. Vanilla is an orchid extract, not a cousin bark. Black pepper is a different fruit. Seasoning and Tasting are the skills. Coumarin content varies by species and lot.