Maluku Islands or the Spice Islands were the home of cloves. From here, they found their way to the Middle East and Europe, before the 1st century AD. Archaeologists first found cloves in a vessel in Syria. They dated the find to 1721 BC. Cloves, nutmeg and pepper were highly prized by the Romans. It was during the Middle Ages, that the Arabs traded in cloves. Late 15th century saw the Portuguese trading in cloves and trading them in Europe.
Cloves were the most precious of spices. Even in the 17th and 18th centuries cloves were worth their weight in gold. The clove tree grows in Zanzibar, Madagascar, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and India. It grows best when the temperature us between 25 to 30 degrees C, with strong sunlight and good rainfall above 150 cms. The soil should be well-drained, though, with sufficient moisture. Humidity of 70% contributes to the optimum growth.
The Botanical name for clove is the Syzygium aromaticum and it belongs to the family Myrtaceae. The clove is the air-dried unopened flower bud of the medium-sized evergreen clove tree. The tree has a height of 10 to 12 meters and starts flowering in 7 years, after which it continues producing flower buds for 80 years or more. When the buds are fully developed, they have a pink flush on them. They are then dried for several days in the sun. The unopened flower buds, leaves and stalks produce essential oil.
Clove, either whole, or ground, is used mainly in cooking. It is an important ingredient of garam masala, and other curry powders. It is used for flavouring sweet and savoury dishes. Cloves are used in the making of pickles. Cloves are used in beverages, perfumery and toiletries. It is used as a carminative in medicine. It helps in the assimilation of sugar, thereby helping diabetics control the level of sugar in the blood. Since the clove is very aromatic, it is used as a mouth freshener and in India, it is used in 'paan' which is a digestive taken after meals.
Clove oil is famous for its antiseptic and antibiotic properties, and as such is used in dentistry, oral and pharyngeal treatments. Eugenol which is responsible for the aroma of the clove is the main component in the essential oil. Clove oil contains 72 to 90% of Eugenol. This has both antiseptic and anaesthetic properties. Which of us does not have a bottle of the fabled clove oil in our bathroom closets to be used for toothaches? Clove oil is used in toothpastes, mouthwashes, and soaps.
Maluku Islands or the Spice Islands were the home of cloves. From here, they found their way to the Middle East and Europe, before the 1st century AD. Archaeologists first found cloves in a vessel in Syria. They dated the find to 1721 BC. Cloves, nutmeg and pepper were highly prized by the Romans. It was during the Middle Ages, that the Arabs traded in cloves. Late 15th century saw the Portuguese trading in cloves and trading them in Europe.
