Cloves

Clove is a spice made from the dried flower buds of the Syzygium aromaticum tree, which is native to the Maluku Islands (also called the Spice Islands) in Indonesia.

🌿 What clove is

A small, nail-shaped dried flower bud
Dark brown in color
Very aromatic and strong

👃 Flavor & aroma

Cloves have a:

warm
sweet
intense
slightly numbing
spicy aroma

They contain eugenol, which gives cloves their powerful flavor.

🍽️ Common uses

Flavoring curries, biryani, garam masala, chai tea, and mulled drinks
Used in baking, especially in pumpkin spice blends
Added to rice dishes and meat marinades
Sometimes used for clove oil in dental or medicinal applications

🌱 Forms

Whole cloves
Ground cloves
Clove oil

Origin

Cloves come from the Maluku Islands (Spice Islands) in Indonesia.
They have been used for over 2,000 years in Asian cooking and medicine.

Ancient Trade

By 200–300 BCE, cloves were traded to China, where they were used to freshen breath before speaking to the emperor.
Arab traders carried cloves to the Middle East and Europe, making them a luxury spice.

Medieval Europe

Cloves became extremely valuable and expensive.
They were used in medicine, food, and perfumes.
Along with pepper and nutmeg, cloves drove the spice trade economy.

Age of Exploration

European powers (Portugal, then the Dutch) tried to control clove production by monopolizing the Spice Islands.
The Dutch even destroyed clove trees on islands they didn’t control to raise prices.

Modern Era

Clove cultivation spread to other regions, including Zanzibar, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, and other tropical areas.
Today, cloves are widely available and no longer rare.