The Spice That Robert Irvine Can't Stand

On "American Idol," there was Simon Cowell; on "Hell's Kitchen," there's Gordon Ramsay; and on Food Network, Robert Irvine takes up the mantle as the resident British cold-hard-truth-teller. On the more than 200 episodes of his show "Restaurant: Impossible," per IMDb, the celebrity chef helps struggling restaurants get back on track with what could generously be called tough love.

And yes, Irvine really is as ripped in real life as he looks on TV. A 10-year veteran of the U.K. Royal Navy (via U.S. Veterans Magazine), Irvine has written several fitness books and sticks to a pretty strenuous workout routine, per Food Network. But he's more than just his tough-guy exterior. As many fans suspected all along, Irvine confirmed he truly does get emotional about the people's lives he's changing. And he has some potentially controversial food opinions, too. In a recent Twitter post, Irvine revealed a surprising food preference.

In response to a fan's comment on Twitter, Irvine weighed in on his distaste for cinnamon, a spice that's been popular in world cultures for thousands of years (via Masterclass).

"Yes I don't like Cassia cinnamon, but [love] Ceylon "The Real" cinnamon," he tweeted. He took an even stronger anti-cinnamon stance in a recent interview, saying, "I never grew up with it and never had it until I came to this country. Now everything has cinnamon in it, and I'm like 'What is this disgusting stuff?'" (per Daily Meal).

So what's the real difference between cassia and Ceylon cinnamon, two varieties of the common spice? While both come from the bark of particular evergreen trees, cassia cinnamon is grown in China and Southeast Asia and Ceylon cinnamon mainly comes from Sri Lanka (via the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health). While Ceylon cinnamon is often considered "true" cinnamon and has a more delicate flavor, cassia is the cheaper and more common variety that's likely in your spice cabinet, per LiveStrong. And because cassia has higher concentrations of the essential oils that lend cinnamon its signature aroma (via the University of Iowa), it makes perfect sense that it's the special cinnamon used in Cinnabon's famous rolls – so maybe Robert Irvine will change his mind on the spice the next time he visits the mall food court.