Cloves are the rich, brown, dried, unopened
flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, an evergreen
tree in the myrtle family. The name comes
from the French "clou" meaning
nail.
Geographical
Sources
Cloves
come from Madagascar, Brazil, Panang, and
Ceylon.
Traditional
Ethnic Uses
Cloves
are used in spice cookies and cakes. Much
of the world crop is used in Indonesia for
Clove cigarettes, called "kreteks".
Taste
and Aroma Description
Cloves
are strong, pungent, and sweet.
History
/ Region of Origin
Cloves
are native to the Molucca Islands, now a part
of Indonesia. Cloves have been used for thousands
of years. One of the earliest references to
them says that the Chinese, in order to approach
the emperor, had to have a few Cloves in their
mouths to sweeten the breath. Cloves were
once very costly and played an important part
in world history. Wars were fought in Europe
and with native islanders to secure rights
to the profitable Clove business. Natives
in the Molucca Islands planted a Clove tree
for each child born. They believed that the
fate of the tree was linked to the fate of
that child. In 1816, the Dutch set a fire
to destroy Clove trees and raise prices. The
natives revolted in a bloody battle which
changed the climate and politics of the area
forever.
