CLOVES
(Syzygium aromaticum)

Cloves, which gives you a sharp and spicy flavor, are the dried flower buds of the evergreen clove tree.
Cloves is native to Indonesia and can grow up to 25 feet high.
The leaves are bright green and leathery and grow to 5 inches long in pairs. The flowers are bell-shaped red and white when in bloom.

The name clove, comes from the Latin word clavus “nail” (because of shape resemblance).

In the Middle Ages people studded oranges with cloves as a protection against plague. They believed that this would ward off bad luck. Today a lot of people do it to add a pleasing aroma to a room.

To determine whether a clove is fresh or not, put them in water. If the cloves float vertically or sink to the bottom they are fresh.

Jewish people smell cloves in the service that closes the Sabbath (Havdalah).

You can use cloves in baking and to give flavor to preserved meat.

Parts used: Dried powdered flower buds and oil.