Cinnamon

About

Cinnamon is sweet, warm and slightly bitter, used across sweet and savory dishes from apple pie to Moroccan tagines, Mexican mole and Indian dhal. Cassia (Cinnamomum cassia), a cheaper, coarser relative sold in bark shards rather than tight scrolls, is often mixed with true cinnamon by spice merchants and has a flavor closer to star anise or cola.

Pairs well with cinnamon

• CiOrangeCinnamon's essential oils release orange and cedar notes early, followed by clove- or pepper-like heat, making it a natural match for…
• FrTomatoCinnamon adds warmth to tomato's sharpness, useful as a substitute for sugar in canned tomatoes or in a spiced tomato sauce for meatballs,…
• WoAlmondAlmond and cinnamon work well together in cakes, pastries, and cookies, and both appear in Morocco's bastilla pie, where spiced pigeon,…
• FrAppleA classic pairing: cinnamon's sweet, woody warmth softens apple's sharpness, though it's easy to overdo and should be used with a light…
• RoChocolateA popular Mexican pairing, used in both drinking chocolate and chocolate bars as well as in mole sauce for meat.
• CrCoconutA popular Cuban pairing found in the rice pudding arroz con coco and the baked custard coco quemado, made by infusing cream and water with…
• CiGingerA core pairing in gingerbread, historically sweetened with honey and pepper and now usually molasses with a touch of clove.
• MeBeefCinnamon is a key spice in Greek pastitsio, where macaroni is layered with a cinnamon-spiced meat and tomato sauce and topped with bechamel.
• BeMintA warm, herbaceous combination that suits red meat, or can flavor a mint syrup, as in a mint-watermelon drink, for a refreshing…
• MePorkA Vietnamese charcuterie called cha que combines ground pork with fish sauce, peanut oil, cornstarch, cinnamon, and baking powder, shapes…
• GrAniseCinnamon and star anise are two of the five spices in Chinese five-spice powder (with fennel seed, clove and Sichuan pepper).
• FfHoneyCinnamon adds complexity to honey, as in cinnamon-honey syrup poured over Greek loukoumades or fall-fruit fritters.
• MeLambSpiced meat grilled over charcoal is a familiar aroma in Moroccan markets; the same principle applies at home by simply grilling lamb…
• CiLimeCinnamon, often as the stronger cassia, and lime are both classic cola flavorings, alongside vanilla, caramel, nutmeg, orange, lemon, and…
• RoSesameTahini sweetened with cinnamon and brown sugar or honey fills tahinov hatz, an enriched Armenian bread roll.
• WoCarrotCarrot has a woody character with faintly piney notes, while cinnamon is the dried inner bark of a tropical tree; the two combine in…
• RoCoffeeCinnamon's sweetness rounds out coffee flavor in baking; in Mexico, a cinnamon stick is sometimes used to stir coffee directly.
• SpPeppercornCinnamon pairs with green peppercorns in flavored butter and with long pepper (pipli), which itself carries cinnamon- and ginger-like notes.
• SuCornMexican atole is a hot drink of cinnamon-spiced cornmeal (masa harina), sugar, and milk; adding chocolate turns it into champurrado.
• MuMustardHistoric Tewkesbury mustard combined mustard, horseradish, and occasionally cinnamon, rolled into balls to be reconstituted with liquid as…
• CrRaisinA common pairing in hot cross buns, sticky buns, and cinnamon-raisin bread, including cinnamon-raisin bagels and Bermuda's fried-fish…
• CrBananaAs a banana ripens, its content of eugenol -- the clove-flavored compound -- increases, which is why very ripe, spotted bananas taste…
• CrDateCinnamon and cardamom both flavor dates; cinnamon-spiced date paste fills the Maghrebi semolina cake makroudh, called bradj in Algeria,…
• FrPineapplePineapple with sugar and cinnamon caramelizes into a flavor resembling spun sugar, and the same principle works well in a…
• FrPlumA cinnamon-spiced plum torte, a pound cake topped with halved plums and cinnamon, was a long-running New York Times seasonal favorite.
• WoWalnutWalnuts pair naturally with autumnal flavors like cinnamon, toffee, maple syrup, and apple.
• RoPeanutCastries Crème, a peanut liqueur, combines a strong peanut-butter flavor with subtle notes of cinnamon and brown sugar.
• CrPrunePrunes already carry a baking-spice character that cinnamon reinforces.
• RoMaple syrupA classic cold-weather pairing found in Canadian desserts like grands-pères au sirop, biscuit batter poached in maple syrup and lightened…
• BeCranberryCinnamon is a familiar background note in cranberry sauce, though the pairing is often used generically and diluted in commercial…