Cloves

What is a Cloves?

Cloves are unopened cloves dried in the sun. Cloves are widely used as a spice in cooking, as well as in perfumery and medicine. Since clove gives good harvests twice a year, and the process of fermentation of unopened clove buds occurs simply in the sun, cloves are a fairly cheap spice. The strong aroma of cloves is given by the essential oil contained in unopened buds, the aroma is enhanced during fermentation, and during storage it is gradually lost due to the evaporation of essential oils. The combination of burning taste and unique aroma makes cloves a unique spice of its kind, in demand all over the world. Cloves spice is the buds of a clove tree that grows in India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar and other islands.

The Use of Cloves in Cooking

In cooking, it is best to use fresh-harvested cloves - the essential oil quickly disappears from the buds, and after a few years there will be little left of the aroma of cloves. For the same reason, it is better to use a whole clove - ground cloves lose their flavor very quickly, but this applies to almost all spices. Even when using cloves in recipes, it is worth remembering that the burning taste of cloves is determined by the substances contained in the petioles, and the subtle aroma of cloves is determined by its caps. Therefore, in recipes for pastries and other sweet dishes, only cloves can be used, and in meat dishes, marinades and sauces, cloves can be used whole, or only petioles, if you want to enhance the burning taste of the dish.

The Use of Cloves in Medicine and other Industries

In medicine, both buds and fruits of the clove tree are used. On their basis, alcohol and other infusions are maked, which are used in the treatment of a number of diseases. Cloves are used in aromatherapy and are traditionally used as incense in many Eastern countries. The essential oil of clove is used in the perfume industry.

The Benefits and Harms of Cloves

The benefits of cloves have long been known, it is used in traditional and folk medicine. And cloves are made infusions, which are then used to treat diseases and improve the body. One of the areas in which clove-based infusions are effective is the fight against fungal diseases, since, although clove infusions are effective, they do not irritate the skin. Cloves are used as a carminative and stimulant, used as an aromatic and as an antiseptic. The harm of cloves may lie in its individual intolerance.

Scientific Name of Cloves

The scientific sound of the clove spice sounds like this - clove tree or fragrant syzygium (Syzygium aromaticum) from the genus Syzygium of the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), whose unopened flower buds are fermented in the sun and used as a spice.

Clove Tree and Its Cultivation

The clove tree grows well and produces abundant crops in tropical climates. The clove tree was first discovered in the Moluccas, and is now successfully grown both in Indonesia and in other regions - in India and Malaysia, Madagascar and Ceylon, as well as in Tanzania, which today is the main supplier of the spice called cloves.

In What Form Can You Buy Cloves?

Cloves are mostly sold in the form of dried buds, which are used in cooking as a whole or crushed. It is best to buy cloves in the form of buds - this way this spice retains essential oils longer, and hence its unique aroma. If ground cloves are to be used in a recipe, it is best to grind them in a mortar or other method just before use. You can buy ground cloves to facilitate the cooking process, but the aromatic properties of cloves will weaken quickly enough. For this reason, cloves, like other spices, are best bought whole.