Cinnamon is a spice we use often in baking and cooking. It is truly versatile, working well in both savory and sweet dishes. It can be used as a rub for meat, seasoning in stew, spice in a pie, topping for toast and flavor in a drink. It is a spice we sometimes take for granted since it is commonplace. This common spice is probably in your cabinet right now; you may use it often, or possible just for baking the occasional pie, but do you know where this spice comes from?

Cinnamon has been used since ancient times. Ancient Egyptians used the spice as a perfume during the embalming process. It was available in Europe in the Middle Ages, but it was rare and expensive and mostly used by the noble class to preserve meats during the winter.

Although its use became widespread, its origins remained a mystery. In the 15th century, Arab traders told tall tales about how they came to acquire the spice. As demand grew, European explorers set out to find the source of cinnamon. Christopher Columbus was one of the explorers who searched. In the early 1500s, Portuguese traders discovered cinnamon in what is now present-day Sri Lanka. In 1638 the Dutch took control over the lands and held the monopoly on the cinnamon trade for the next 150 years until eventually the British took over the trade in the 1800s.

Today cinnamon is still widely grown in Sri Lanka, but it is also produced in Indonesia. There are two types of commercial cinnamon: Ceylon and cassia. Cassia comes from Indonesia and has a very strong scent. It is the cheaper of the two varieties. More expensive Ceylon from Sri Lanka is mild and sweeter. Both varieties come from a type of evergreen tree. When a cinnamon tree is two years old, it is cut back, forcing the tree to develop several shoots, growing more like a bush. The shoots are cut and stripped of their bark. Thin layers are then shaved from the bark and laid out to dry in the sun. As they dry, they naturally curl into quills or what we know as cinnamon sticks.

Now that you know cinnamon comes from a tree, it’s time to start using it. Here are a few unique recipes to try.

Cinnamon Braised Short Ribs with Seasonal Vegetables

Adapted from Food52

Serves 4

• 1.5 teaspoons olive oil
• 8 ounces bacon-sliced into one inch pieces
• 4 beef short ribs (6 ounce each)
• 1 medium onion, small dice
• 4 carrots, small dice
• 1 rutabaga, small dice
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup Grand Marnier
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 3 ounces parmesan cheese
• 3 cups beef or veal stock
• 1 cup water
• Oregano to taste
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cups Brussels sprouts-trimmed and cut in half
• 1 cup cauliflower-heads broken up into bite size pieces

Heat olive oil in a braising pot and add bacon; cook until it's just beginning to get crispy. Remove and reserve. Season the short ribs very well with salt, pepper and oregano. Add short ribs to the pan (which should still have the bacon fat in it) and brown on all sides. Remove and reserve. Add onions, carrots and rutabaga to the pan, season and slightly brown 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cinnamon stick and cook for one more minute. Once everything is nice and golden, add Grand Marnier and red wine. Reduce by 1/3. Put the short ribs back into the pot and add cheese rind, stock, and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for approximately 1-1.5 hours (or until the beef is nice and tender and is falling off the bone). About 5-7 minutes before you finish braising, add the bacon, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower to the pot. Cook just until the vegetables are tender. Garnish with parsley. Serve with the cooking liquid (which will have reduced to a nice sauce).

Chocolate-Cinnamon Pudding with Raspberries

Adapted from Real Simple

Serves 4

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries, or frozen raspberries, thawed

In a heavy saucepan, combine the cocoa, cinnamon, cornstarch and 2/3 cup of brown sugar. Whisk in the milk and 1/2 cup of the cream. Over medium-low heat, bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, until the pudding is thick and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Pour into individual ramekins or a large bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming.

Whip the remaining heavy cream with the remaining sugar until soft peaks from. Serve the pudding warm or chilled with the raspberries and whipped cream.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Breakfast Bars

Adapted from Kitchn

Makes 20 to 24 squares

For the Cinnamon Filling

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of kosher salt

For the Cream Cheese Bars

• 2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese or Neufchatel, softened
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Additional sugar, for topping

For the Cinnamon Filling

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add brown sugar and cook until sugar and butter are well combined, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Whisk in egg, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

For the Cream Cheese Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Roll out 1 can of crescent roll dough into the bottom of the casserole dish to form a crust, making sure to press seams together.

With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla until well combined. Spread the filling evenly over the crust with a rubber spatula. Pour the cinnamon filling over the cream cheese mixture and spread out evenly (I used a silicone pastry brush).

Roll out remaining can of crescent roll dough onto large sheet of wax paper. Pat out dough to form a 9 x 13 inch rectangle, carefully pressing the seams together to seal. Gently flip the wax paper/dough over the cinnamon cream cheese filling to form a top crust.

Bake for 30 minutes until top crust is golden. Remove from the oven and dust with additional sugar. Cut into 2-inch squares, or smaller if feeding a crowd. Serve warm or at room temperature. Recipe can be made the day before and cooked before serving OR freeze cooked bars and thaw before eating (if serving at room temperature).

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, Baking/Pastry, and Value Added Local Food, and non-credit cooking and food classes through our Community Learning Culinary Institute. For more information, visit the LLCC website.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu