Whole Cloves - Clavo Entero - 1 oz

Whole Cloves - Clavo Entero 1 oz

Tampico

Cloves are small nailed shaped aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, native to Indonesia. The Cloves English name comes from the Latin clavus 'nail' (also the origin of French "clou" and Spanish "clavo", 'nail') as the buds vaguely resemble small irregular nails in shape. Cloves are used as a spice in cuisines all over the world. Cloves can be used in cooking either whole or in a ground form. Cloves have a sweet and penetrating flavor and they are extremely strong, and can easily overpower any type of food, so they are used sparingly. Cloves can be used in many dishes from chicken to beef to desserts and even stews and sauces. Whole cloves are often used for their beauty as well as flavor to stud hams, as they are poked into the skin on the outside of the ham. This no only gives the ham flavor but it is decorative. In Mexican cuisine, cloves are known as "clavos de olor", and often used together with cumin and cinnamon. Medicinal properties are attributed to Cloves like the use of a clove in toothache is also said to decrease pain. Cloves also help to decrease infection in the teeth due to its antiseptic properties. Cloves are used in Chinese and Japanese culture as incense.