When it’s time to bake those tempting holiday desserts, do you use cinnamon — or cassia? In the United States, both spices are often sold as cinnamon; but although cassia is a close relative of true cinnamon, the two have different flavors and characteristics. 

Both cinnamon and cassia are made from the fine inner skin of fragrant tree bark. Members of the laurel family, cinnamon and cassia trees grow wild throughout Asia.

Cassia is thicker and coarser than true cinnamon, and its taste is less delicate. Sometime called Chinese cinnamon, cassia is reddish-brown when powdered, with a pronounced, slightly bitter aroma. 

It’s easy to tell the difference when you are buying sticks: Cinnamon rolls into a single quill, while cassia is scrolled from both sides toward the center.

Cassia seems better suited to savory dishes rather than sweet. It is an essential spice in Chinese cuisine: Ground, it is one of the elements of five-spice powder, but it is also frequently added whole to flavor braised dishes and spiced sauce.

True cinnamon, or Ceylon cinnamon, was one of the first spices sought in the great explorations of the 15th and 16th centuries. The highest-quality cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka, but it also grows in India, Brazil, Indonesia, the West Indies, and Indian Ocean islands.

Suited to both sweet and savory dishes, Ceylon cinnamon is particularly good with lamb in Moroccan tagines and Iranian khoraks; in rice dishes; in fruit compotes; in chocolate desserts, cakes and drinks; in spice bread; and of course, in cinnamon toast. Cinnamon was once commonly used to flavor ale and wine, and it is still a good spice for mulled wine.

Vietnamese cinnamon comes from the bark of a tree that is native to the higher, mountainous regions of central and northern Vietnam. Regarded by many as the world’s most aromatic and intensely flavored cinnamon, this variety has the highest concentration of essential oils of any cinnamon currently known to science.

Unlike other cinnamon, Vietnamese cinnamon is surprisingly sweet and robustly spicy, similar to that of a “red hot” candy. It is highly prized among chefs around the world for the high level of flavor that it brings to baked, stewed and simmered dishes.

Cinnamon and cassia have a long history in medicine as well as in the world of food. In traditional Chinese medicine, cassia is used for colds, flatulence, nausea, diarrhea and even painful menstrual periods. It is also believed to improve energy, vitality, and circulation for those with cold feet.

Cinnamon may offer protective benefits to our health: A teaspoon of cinnamon is rich in nutrition, supplying fiber, calcium manganese, iron and antioxidants. Cinnamon may also help reduce the growth of bacteria and reduce inflammation. A common ingredient in chai tea, cinnamon is believed to improve digestion of fruit, milk and other diary products.

Studies have shown that just the smell of cinnamon may be able to boost brain power. Although research is still in its beginning stages, researchers suggest that a spoonful or two a day may help lower blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides in people with type 2 diabetes.

Herbalists prefer to use the Ceylon variety as a supplement, but there are many tasty and simple ways you can get the recommended 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of cinnamon a day by enjoying this aromatic spice in your food: 

Steep your favorite herbal tea with a cinnamon stick.

Add one-half teaspoon of cinnamon to unsweetened applesauce.

Add cinnamon to your breakfast cereal or oatmeal.

Sprinkle it on toast.

Mix cinnamon with butter or cream cheese.

Sprinkle cinnamon on your morning cup of coffee, cocoa or cappuccino.

Shuli and Ronnit Madmone are the owners of Whole Spice at the Oxbow Public Market. Their Web site is www.wholespice.com