Cloves - Strong & Zesty!

Cloves are flower buds harvested before they flower and their tree belongs to an evergreen variety, aptly named as the clove tree, a part of the Myrtle plant family.

- Sharmila Chand

This tree blooms well in hot, humid, and tropical locations like India, Zanzibar, Sri Lanka and more. It is said that Indonesia has the maximum growth of this spice. After the harvesting period, the green, immature buds are dried, until they turn into deep, dark reddish-brown color. The buds are small, only about 1 centimeter long, in the shape of a little spike with a bit of a bulbous top.

History and Culture

It is said, cloves were named after the French word "clou", meaning "nail" as after the drying process, they resemble tiny nails. Their rich culinary and medicinal history spans thousands of years and several continents. In ancient China, cloves were used in perfumery and in medicine besides cooking.