Where does cinnamon come from?

To make cinnamon, workers strip the inner bark from young shoots, and as it dries it curls into rolls called quills. Ceylon cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum, is known as 'true cinnamon' and is native to Sri Lanka, which remains its main producer. Most cinnamon sold in North America is cassia, which is darker, stronger and contains more coumarin. Ancient Egyptians used cinnamon in embalming, and Arab traders long kept its source secret to protect high prices. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Portugal and then the Dutch fought to control Sri Lanka's cinnamon trade.