A clove is an aromatic spice, usually harvested in the form of a flower bud. Originally, they were found in Indonesia but they can be grown anywhere in tropical climate.
What Does A Clove Look Like? When ready for picking, clove flower buds are usually unopened and pink in color. Cloves are usually nail-shaped and have a stem.
Once dried, they are usually brown in color and are mostly used in cooking - either ground or whole. For a long time, cloves have been used to spice up Indian cuisines, and today the spice is often used with other spices in a mixture like garam masala.
What Foods Are Cloves Used In? Some common dishes to involve the use of cloves include biryani, masala chai and Dutch stews like hachee among others.
Spice mixtures that contain cloves include ras el hanout, curry powders, pickling spices and mulling spices. Cloves are known for their aroma and flavor.
Cloves In Medicine Traditionally, cloves were used by the Chinese to treat athlete’s foot, fungal infections, diarrhea, hernias, ringworms and indigestion. Cloves were also used to treat respiratory ailments, toothache and gum diseases, and many people still dab clove oil on sore gums, or chew on cloves to alleviate toothache.
Apart from the medicinal benefits, cloves are known to have health benefits such as muscle relaxation. Clove oil is commonly used for aromatherapy, but probably not for cooking (I made the mistake of using this in cake mixture once. Never again.) Apparently, they're aphrodisiacs as well, although the only desire they elicit in me is a desire to throw up.
One myth even suggests that sucking two cloves will destroy cravings for alcohol - although I personally think that sucking a clove would have me reaching for the nearest bottle, just to take the taste away. Maybe I'm just biased..
What Does A Clove Look Like? When ready for picking, clove flower buds are usually unopened and pink in color. Cloves are usually nail-shaped and have a stem.
Once dried, they are usually brown in color and are mostly used in cooking - either ground or whole. For a long time, cloves have been used to spice up Indian cuisines, and today the spice is often used with other spices in a mixture like garam masala.
What Foods Are Cloves Used In? Some common dishes to involve the use of cloves include biryani, masala chai and Dutch stews like hachee among others.
Spice mixtures that contain cloves include ras el hanout, curry powders, pickling spices and mulling spices. Cloves are known for their aroma and flavor.
Cloves In Medicine Traditionally, cloves were used by the Chinese to treat athlete’s foot, fungal infections, diarrhea, hernias, ringworms and indigestion. Cloves were also used to treat respiratory ailments, toothache and gum diseases, and many people still dab clove oil on sore gums, or chew on cloves to alleviate toothache.
Apart from the medicinal benefits, cloves are known to have health benefits such as muscle relaxation. Clove oil is commonly used for aromatherapy, but probably not for cooking (I made the mistake of using this in cake mixture once. Never again.) Apparently, they're aphrodisiacs as well, although the only desire they elicit in me is a desire to throw up.
One myth even suggests that sucking two cloves will destroy cravings for alcohol - although I personally think that sucking a clove would have me reaching for the nearest bottle, just to take the taste away. Maybe I'm just biased..
