Cinnamon is a spice made from the inner bark of the Cinnamomum tree.The inner bark is then extracted and the woody parts removed. When it dries, it forms strips that curl into rolls, called cinnamon sticks. Cinnamon needs to be kept in an airtight container in a dark place. Cinnamon sticks are commonly used in biriyanis, chicken stew and vegetable stew. The inner red-colored bark gets the rough exterior scraped off, then the remaining bark curls naturally as it dries. The long pieces are cut into small sections and sold as cinnamon sticks, and the remaining bits are ground to make the all-familiar ground cinnamon most of have on our spice rack.