Cinnamon is an Old World spice, native to South and Southeast Asia. Every major variety of cinnamon originates from this region, and the spice was traded across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe for thousands of years before Europeans ever reached the Americas.
Where Cinnamon Grows Naturally
True cinnamon, also called Ceylon cinnamon, is native to Sri Lanka. The tree thrives in wet tropical climates and has been harvested on the island for millennia. Sri Lanka still provides close to 90% of the world’s true cinnamon supply.
Cassia cinnamon, the variety most people in North America actually buy at the grocery store, is native to China and Southeast Asia. The genus Cinnamomum includes roughly 250 species of trees and shrubs, and they are distributed across South and Southeast Asia, China, and Australia. Not a single species is native to the Americas.
Cinnamon’s Ancient Trade History
Cinnamon was one of the earliest spices to travel long distances through trade. As early as 2000 BC, cinnamon from Sri Lanka and cassia from China were exported along what would become the Silk Roads, reaching the Arabian Peninsula and the Iranian Plateau. By the time of the Roman Empire, cinnamon was a prized luxury in the Mediterranean world, arriving through a chain of Arab and Indian traders who kept the exact source of the spice a closely guarded secret for centuries.
This long trading history means cinnamon was well established in European and Middle Eastern kitchens long before 1492. It flavored medieval European dishes, appeared in ancient Egyptian embalming practices, and was mentioned in Chinese medicinal texts going back thousands of years.
How Cinnamon Reached the Americas
Cinnamon arrived in the New World through the Columbian Exchange, the massive transfer of plants, animals, and foods between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres that began after Columbus’s voyages. European colonizers brought cinnamon with them as they settled the Americas, and it quickly became a common ingredient in New World cooking. Traditional dishes across Latin America and the Caribbean still reflect this transfer. Guyanese pepperpot and Guatemalan pepián, for instance, both use cinnamon as a key ingredient, one that was absent from these regions before European contact.
Spanish explorers actually searched parts of South America hoping to find cinnamon trees growing wild, driven by the enormous value the spice held in European markets. They never found any, because the trees simply don’t grow naturally in the Western Hemisphere.
Ceylon vs. Cassia: Two Old World Varieties
Most cinnamon on the market today falls into one of two categories, and both come from the Old World. Ceylon cinnamon is the milder, more delicate variety from Sri Lanka. Cassia cinnamon, which comes primarily from China, Vietnam, and Indonesia, has a stronger, more pungent flavor and makes up over 90% of the cinnamon traded globally.
The distinction matters beyond flavor. Cassia contains significantly more coumarin, a naturally occurring compound that can stress the liver in large amounts. Cassia cinnamon contains up to 1% coumarin, while Ceylon cinnamon contains only a trace, around 0.004%. If you use cinnamon heavily in cooking or supplements, Ceylon is the safer long-term choice.
Where Cinnamon Is Produced Today
The world’s five largest cinnamon-exporting countries are China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Madagascar. All are in Asia or Africa, reinforcing cinnamon’s Old World roots. China and Vietnam dominate the cassia market, while Sri Lanka remains the center of true cinnamon production. Madagascar is a notable exception as a relatively newer producer, but its cinnamon cultivation was introduced from Asia during the colonial period, not discovered growing wild.
Some cinnamon is now grown in tropical parts of the Americas, particularly in Brazil and parts of Central America, but these are cultivated plantations descended from trees brought over from Asia. The plant has no wild ancestry in the Western Hemisphere.