Native to Southeast Asia, cinnamon is the inner bark of cinnamon trees in the Lauraceae family. Cinnamon is harvested at the beginning of the rainy season as this is when the tree's bark fills with sap and is most easily cut. Incisions are then made on the underside of the trunks and branches. The bark is cut into large strips, and then, with the help of a knife, it is separated from the tree. The bark is scraped off so as to retain only the inner bark. The pieces of inner bark obtained are then ground to dry to obtain ground cinnamon with a sweet and subtle flavor.
