Clove Powder 250 g
Native to the Moluccas in Indonesia, Syzygium aromaticum is a highly aromatic tree that produces fragrant flower buds known as cloves. Cloves are widely cultivated in parts of Asia, Africa, and South America, and have been an integral part of the spice trade for thousands of years. Cloves remain a popular ingredient in cooking, mulled wine, chai tea, and herbal formulations. Stimulating and aromatic, whole cloves are used in savory dishes in Middle Eastern, North African, Chinese, and Indian cuisines.
A widely used culinary spice since ancient times, cloves rival other well-known spices such as cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in popularity. Cloves are used in liqueurs and mulled wines, perfumes, and even love potions. More recently, clove oil has been used in dentistry for its beneficial properties.
Cloves are widely cultivated in Tanzania, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and South America, with Tanzania being the largest commercial cultivator. Zanzibar and Pemba Island, both regions of Tanzania, were once represented by a flag featuring two clove buds, representing the spice's influence in the region.
Cloves have been used as a culinary spice for thousands of years. A spice found in a ceramic vessel in Syria, dating back to around 1700 BC, is believed to be cloves. Furthermore, trade between the Molucca Islands, where cloves grow naturally, and China dates back at least 2,500 years. During the Han dynasty, it was customary for court officials to hold cloves in their mouths to freshen their breath when addressing the emperor. Cloves were first brought to Europe by Arab spice traders in the 4th century, and in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Portuguese sought to maintain their monopoly on the clove spice trade. However, the Dutch East India Company (known in Dutch as the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or 'VOC') took control in the early 17th century. According to Jack Turner in his book Spices: A History of Temptation: "After the final expulsion of the Portuguese in 1605, the VOC began making every clove in the world a Dutch commodity." Turner also went on to infer that the Dutch protected cloves, "like a jealous lover watching his beloved," apparently because they had so much to gain. The rate on cloves was nearly 2,000 percent, and furthermore, to maintain such artificially high prices, hundreds of thousands of pounds of spice were often ignited in huge bonfires. Eventually, a Frenchman named Pierre Poivre began stealing the highly protected seedlings and shipping them to French colonies in the tropics, enabling other countries to grow the crop and thus ending the VOC's monopoly. In the early 1800s, a clove tree was planted in the Moluccas Islands every time a child was born, bringing about an abundance of this spice. Various folk tales and myths surround the clove, which is believed to be imbued with magical powers of protection and love, and to be burned as incense to attract financial abundance. Furthermore, burning it as incense was thought to prevent others from gossiping about you. It was also used in exorcisms to ward off evil spirits.
It is widely used in Middle Eastern, North African, Chinese (in '5 spice powder'), and Indian cuisine. It's also essential in chai, a spicy Indian tea containing cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, and black tea, as well as garam masala, an Indian culinary spice used in curries containing turmeric and various spices. Cloves' strong flavor isn't appreciated in other countries, and they're primarily used as a flavoring in various baked goods like gingerbread. Interestingly, cloves aren't used much in cooking in their native Molucca Islands, but are instead extremely popular as cigarettes. In Ayurveda (the traditional healing system in India), cloves, referred to as 'lavanga,' aren't just used in the kitchen they've also been used as a medicinal herb to aid digestion, soothe nausea, support lung health, and are considered a highly effective carminative. It's considered an energetically warming herb with a pungent flavor, making it most useful in cold or stagnant conditions. Likewise, in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), cloves are considered a warming herb that breaks up stagnant energy by promoting the flow of chi (energy) and is used to support the kidney, spleen, and stomach meridians.
Cloves are highly aromatic, pungent, and energetically warming. The dried flower buds are used as a culinary spice or ground into a powder as part of a tea blend.
Allergen Information:Packaged in a facility that also processes nuts (including peanuts), seeds, grains, soy, and gluten-containing products.
Product Information:Avoid contact with eyes, wash hands after use.
Usage Storage Conditions
Store in a cool, dry, odorless, and light-free environment.
Consume the product within 2 years of purchase.
•Does not contain colorants
•Does not contain preservatives
