CINNAMON is an essential part of the standard blend of garam masala, that magic spice mixture that gives Indian dishes their heady rich fragrance. The Portuguese even colonised Sri Lanka for this spice! So precious was cinnamon that it soon became an essential flavouring ingredient in all foods from rice to vegetable curries to meats and even desserts like cakes, puddings and biscuits! The sweet, woody scent of cinnamon is unique. And the taste is warm, aromatic and sharply sweet. Hence a dash of cinnamon is very easy to recognise by the distinctive flavour that it imparts to food.

Cinnamon is an evergreen tree. But it is not the leaves or the seeds that are used for flavouring. It is the dried inner bark of the cinnamon tree that is the spice used in cooking. The longest, unblemished pieces of bark are rolled by hand to form compact curls and then dried. The long thin scrolls or quills are camel-coloured and very brittle. When buying cinnamon check that there are no chippings -- the quills should be fairly long and whole.

Cinnamon can also be ground into fine powder. You can grind cinnamon powder at home. But remember, like all ground powders, cinnamon powder too loses its flavour very quickly. If stored for too long, cinnamon powder looks, tastes and smells like saw dust! So the best thing to do is to buy it in small amounts and use it within a month.

While the use of cinnamon in Europe is restricted to desserts, in the Middle East it is used in stews too. A pinch of ground cinnamon will enhance most meat stews, especially those made with lamb. It is also good in stuffings for goose or duck. Cinnamon sticks are used for garnishing and are useful for flavouring hot beverages like mulled wine, hot chocolate or coffee. What takes the cake, however, is the masala chai, liberally sprinkled with cinnamon powder. It refreshes tired nerves and puts the spring in your step!

Needless to say, the medicinal properties of cinnamon have been known to man since ancient times. Cinnamon infused with warm water is effective in curing common colds, checking nausea and stimulating digestion.