The clove is the dried flower bud of the clove tree from the Myrtaceae family.
This tree is native to the Bat Jan Islands, a micro archipelago in the centre of the Moluccas (Indonesia). The tree has travelled extensively and cloves are now found in many countries: Ambon, the Moluccas and Sumatra (Indonesia), Penang (Malaysia), Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion, Zanzibar, Sri Lanka, India (states of Mysore and Travancore), Antilles, Fench Guiana, Madagascar etc.
In the kitchen it is used in stews, usually studded in an onion, in casseroles, sauerkraut, marinades and pasta. It combines perfectly with other spices such as cinnamon and pepper. It is essential in mulled wine and will be a delight in your fruit purées and fruit salads, and especially with apple, pear and orange. It works a treat with garlic.
