Ground Cloves
Estimated Inventory, 16 oz : 12.00
This item was last sold on : 11/27/24
Description/Taste
Ground Cloves are a coarse, dark red-brown powder that clumps slightly with pressure, resembling beach sand. The powder has an intensely hot and fruity aroma that can overpower the nose when inhaled deeply. Ground Cloves have an exceptionally potent flavor that is sweet, minty, and piquant with slight bitterness and astringency. The powder also has an anesthetic quality that numbs the tongue and mouth when consumed directly.
Seasons/Availability
Ground Cloves are available year-round.
Current Facts
Ground Cloves are produced by grinding the dried, unopened flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, an evergreen tree in the myrtle family. The Clove tree's flower buds grow in clusters at the end of each branch and are harvested, by hand, when their calyx turns from pale green to rosy pink and before the flower has opened and been fertilized. During the drying process, which can take 4 to 5 days, the buds harden and turn a dark brown hue. The name Clove comes from the French word ‘clou’ meaning ‘nail,’ which dried Cloves resemble both in look and stiffness. It can take up to 6 years for a Clove tree to fruit and up to 20 years for the tree to bear a full crop. Cloves have many uses outside of culinary applications. Much of the world’s production of Cloves, specifically from Indonesia, is used to make kreteks, a popular cigarette made from tobacco and Cloves. The anesthetic qualities of Cloves allow the person smoking the kretek to inhale the smoke more deeply. Oil produced from Cloves is used in perfume, potpourri, and topical medicine to treat mouth pain. Clove oil also plays an important role in oil painting, where it is added to paint and palettes to slow drying and oxidation, allowing the artist more time to work with the color.
Nutritional Value
Ground Cloves are a significant source of manganese and contain trace amounts of vitamin K, vitamin C, and fiber. The spice's flavor and aroma come from the essential oil eugenol, which makes up about 90% of the Clove’s oil content. Eugenol oil has antiseptic and anesthetic properties, which has led to its use in mouthwash and topical pain relievers for tooth and mouth pain. However, consuming too much Clove oil can lead to acute respiratory distress, liver failure, and central nervous system depression.
Applications
Ground Cloves can be incorporated into a variety of sweet and savory culinary applications and should be used sparingly as their strong flavor and aroma can easily overpower any dish. They are a key ingredient in many different spice mixes, including garam masala, chai, Chinese five-spice, and pumpkin spice. In Europe and the United States, Ground Cloves are a popular spice during the winter holiday season and are used to flavor pies, cookies, cakes, mincemeat, and wassail, a warm alcoholic beverage. Ground Cloves are a secret ingredient in many sauces like barbeque, Worcestershire, cocktail, and ketchup, where they add a unique, spicy flavor. Cloves are also added to Vietnamese pho broth and German braised red cabbage. Clove oil is used in the production of synthetic vanilla. Ground Cloves add sweetness and warmth to any dish and pair well with other spices like nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon. The flavor of Cloves is intensified when ground. When substituting Ground Cloves for whole Cloves in a recipe, reduce the amount used by a quarter. Freshly Ground Cloves have the best flavor, as their aroma and intensity will dissipate over time, so it is recommended to grind whole Cloves for each use. Store Ground Cloves in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to six months.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Clove trees have played a significant role in the culture and history of the Molucca Islands of Indonesia. The trees are native to Ternate and Tidore, also known as the Spice Islands, and the indigenous peoples of these islands believed the trees contained a source of power. It was a tradition to plant a Clove tree for each child born to a family. This tree was thought to be linked to the child, and the health and growth of the tree directly affected the health and development of the child. Because of this belief, families took great care and pride in their Clove trees. The eventual discovery of the spice by Arab traders created great profit for the indigenous tribes, but the Portuguese later discovered the Spice Islands and forced the farmers to sell their crops at a much lower price set by the crown. When the Dutch took control of the Spice Islands, the indigenous peoples were colonized, enslaved, and forced to harvest their crops for Dutch rulers. The peoples of the Molucca Islands had little control over their crops until 1949, when Indonesia was declared a sovereign nation. Today, Indonesia produces over 75% of the world’s Clove crops, a market that is worth over 6 billion USD.
Geography/History
Clove trees are native to Indonesia's highly humid, tropical Spice Islands, utilized for culinary and medicinal purposes for over 3,000 years. Archaeologists discovered Cloves in a ceramic vessel in Syria dating back to 1721 BCE. As early as 200 BCE, Cloves were regularly used in China as a spice and breath freshener of those holding audiences with the emperor. By the Middle Ages, Cloves were being traded throughout Europe by Arab traders. The Portuguese gained control of the Spice Islands in the late 15th century before losing power to the Dutch. The Dutch maintained a strict monopoly over the spice by eradicating all Clove trees grown anywhere except the Dutch controlled islands of Amboina and Ternate. They also imposed strict laws on the amount of spice that could be traded out of the islands. The Dutch maintained this monopoly for over a century until a Frenchman smuggled seeds from a Clove tree into Mauritius in 1770. The French were then able to cultivate Cloves on the islands they controlled, thus ending the Dutch’s control over the spice trade. Today, Cloves are harvested throughout Indonesia and Madagascar, Sri Lanka, India, Tanzania, and Zanzibar. Indonesia remains the world’s largest Cloves producer, although most of the crop remains in the country and is used to produce cigarettes. Ground Cloves can be found in any grocery store and ethnic market.
Featured Restaurants
Restaurants currently purchasing this product as an ingredient for their menu.
| Communal Coffee | San Diego CA | 619-305-9525 |
| Rancho Valencia | Del Mar CA | 858-756-1123 |
| Mabel's Gone Fishing | San Diego CA | 619-228-9851 |
| Herb & Wood | San Diego CA | 520-205-1288 |
| Kairoa Brewing Company | San Diego CA | 858-735-0051 |
| Invigatorium | San Diego CA | 855-634-7664 |
| Grass Skirt | San Diego CA | 858-412-5237 |
| Sycuan Casino | El Cajon CA | 619-445-6002 |
| Boujiemana (TCW) | San Diego CA | 415-710-0510 |
| My Chef | San Diego CA | 916-217-0049 |
| Kettner Exchange Bar | San Diego CA | 909-915-9877 |
| Parq Restaurant and Nightclub (Bar) | San Diego CA | 619-886-2743 |
| Secret Sister | San Diego CA | 619-281-0718 |
| The Plot Restaurant (Costa Mesa) | Costa Mesa CA | 714-852-3181 |
