Cinnamon isn’t just a baking spice. Beyond dessert, cinnamon anchors savory dishes around the world, deepening stews, sauces, and rice dishes. Here’s how to bring it into your own everyday cooking.

In the US, cinnamon is often synonymous with Thanksgiving pies , apple crisps after a day at the orchard, and the much-awaited pumpkin spice latte . It’s cable-knit sweaters, wool beanies, and plaid blankets—a shorthand for fall.

But in the Middle East, where I grew up, cinnamon isn’t reserved for seasonal baked goods. It’s the backbone of savory cooking: It provides warmth and depth when stirred into lamb stews , simmered into tomato sauces , and folded into rice.…