clove

Cloves are among the oldest spices. Ancient texts indicate that cloves reached China and India over 2,000 years ago, and later also found their way into the Roman Empire. In China, it was customary to keep a clove in one’s mouth whilst speaking to the authorities.

Cloves were brought to Europe by the Arabs. However, their exact origin was not yet known at that time. The first detailed records date from the 13th century. Since then, cloves have had a significant influence on the development of early trade in Europe. In 1769, the French governor Poivre succeeded in establishing the clove tree on the African islands of Réunion and Mauritius.

Old travelogues and herbal books contain the most curious claims about the clove, for example ‘that nothing green would ever grow beneath a clove tree, because it makes the soil too hot’. However, this did nothing to diminish the popularity of the clove, as people used cloves to season virtually everything.

The botanical name – Syzygium – derives from the Greek syzygos , meaning ‘joined together’, a reference to the paired leaves of a Jamaican species.

This non-hardy, evergreen tree, which can grow up to ten metres tall in well-drained and fertile soil, is native to the Moluccas and the southern Philippines. The minimum temperature during the cold season should not fall below 15 to 18 degrees.

The genus comprises around 250 species, which, through cultivation, are now also found on other continents. The large, oval leaves, up to twelve centimetres long, are arranged in opposite pairs.

The pinkish-white, delicately scented petals develop into aromatic, purplish-red berries. The clove tree is propagated by sowing the ripe seeds. The dried flower buds of S. aromaticum are a widely used and very popular spice. The buds are pink to reddish before drying and only turn brown afterwards.

The finest varieties are the East Indian Moluccan and Penang cloves, as well as the Zanzibar and Madagascar cloves.

American cloves are generally regarded as inferior varieties due to their lower oil content.

Cloves have a wide range of properties, so it is hardly surprising that they are highly valued in medicine.

Spicy, stimulating, warming, antiseptic, aromatic and pain-relieving, cloves also have a positive effect on digestion, suppressing nausea and protecting against intestinal parasites. A few drops of clove oil are said to provide relief from toothache. It is therefore not surprising that clove oil is also used in the manufacture of toothpaste. In traditional Chinese medicine, cloves are used successfully to strengthen the kidneys.

Whole cloves are also a popular ingredient in scented balls and perfume balls. For the sake of completeness, it should also be mentioned here that cloves are used to flavour Indian and Indonesian cigarettes.

Whole and ground cloves are used to flavour preserved vegetables, red cabbage and sauerkraut, as well as stewed apples and steamed fruit. Ground cloves are also an ingredient in a delicate and well-balanced curry powder blend. The classic combination of onion and bay leaf, held together by a clove, is used in meat stocks (bouillon), stews and with oily fish such as eel and carp.

What would mulled wine, gingerbread or Christmas biscuits be without the aromatic clove?

The importance of cloves has also long been recognised in the drinks industry, as they are used in the production of vermouth.

However, due to their intense flavour, cloves must be used very sparingly.