Clove

Cloves are the dried, unopened flower buds of *Syzygium aromaticum*, an evergreen tree belonging to the myrtle family. These trees are originally from the Maluku Islands (also called the Moluccas) in Indonesia. Today, cloves are widely used to add flavor to food, as a scent in products like toothpaste and soap, or as a fragrance in cosmetics. Because different countries have different harvest times, freshly picked cloves can be found year-round.

The English word "clove" first appeared in the 15th century. It came from the Middle English *clow of gilofer*, which traces back through Anglo-French and Old French to the Latin *clavus*, meaning "nail"—a reference to the bud’s shape. The related word "gillyflower" originally meant "clove" and comes from the same Old French and Latin roots, which themselves derive from the Greek *karyophyllon*, literally "nut leaf."

Clove trees can grow 8 to 12 meters tall. They have large leaves and crimson flowers that grow in clusters at the ends of branches. The flower buds start pale, then turn green, and finally become bright red when they are ready to be picked. Harvested buds are about 1.5 to 2 centimeters long. Each bud has a long, tube-like base (the calyx) that ends in four spreading sepals, with four unopened petals forming a small ball at the tip. The stalks of the clove are slender, brown, and rough, with a woody texture and a short, irregular fracture. "Mother cloves" are the ripe fruits—brown, oval berries that contain a single seed. "Blown cloves" are flowers that have lost their petals and stamens. "Exhausted" or "used" cloves are those that have had most of their oil removed through distillation.

In cooking, cloves are common in Asian, African, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern cuisines. They flavor meats like baked ham, curries, marinades, and fruits such as apples, pears, and rhubarb. They are also added to hot drinks, often with lemon and sugar. Cloves appear in many spice blends, including the Malay *rempah empat beradik* (alongside cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise), pumpkin pie spice, and speculaas spices. In Mexican cooking, they are called *clavos de olor* and are often paired with cumin and cinnamon. Peruvian dishes like *carapulcra* and *arroz con leche* also use them. The main flavor compound in cloves is eugenol, and only a small amount is usually needed. Cloves pair well with cinnamon, allspice, vanilla, red wine, basil, onion, citrus peel, star anise, and peppercorns.

Beyond the kitchen, cloves are sometimes added to betel quids for extra aroma while chewing. In Indonesia, they are used in *kretek* cigarettes. These clove cigarettes were once smoked across Europe, Asia, and the United States, but since September 2009, they have been classified as cigars in the U.S. due to a ban on flavored cigarettes. Clove essential oil can stop mold from growing on certain foods. It has also been shown to protect wood in cultural heritage conservation, working better than a boron-based wood preservative. When stuck into an orange, cloves make a fragrant pomander; in Victorian England, giving one as a gift was a sign of warm feelings.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved clove for any medical use. Taking it orally can cause problems for people with liver disease, blood clotting or immune system disorders, or food allergies. In traditional medicine, clove oil is used as a pain reliever, especially for toothaches. There is evidence that eugenol in clove oil works for toothache and other types of pain. It may also stop the growth of *Enterococcus faecalis* bacteria, which can survive an unsuccessful root canal. One review found that eugenol mixed with zinc oxide helped with pain from alveolar osteitis (dry socket). Studies on whether cloves reduce fever, repel mosquitoes, or prevent premature ejaculation have not been conclusive. It is also unproven whether cloves or clove oil lower blood sugar. The essential oil is sometimes used in aromatherapy.

Before the colonial period, cloves grew only on a few islands in the Moluccas (the Spice Islands): Bacan, Makian, Moti, Ternate, and Tidore. They were first traded by Austronesian peoples in a maritime network that began around 1500 BC and later became part of the Maritime Silk Road and the Spice Trade. Modern clove farming on a large scale first developed on the east coast of Madagascar, where it is grown in three ways: as a monoculture, in agricultural parklands, and in agroforestry systems. Archaeologist Giorgio Buccellati found a clove in a burned-down house in Terqa, Syria, dating to 1720 BC, during the kingdom of Ḫana. This discovery, reported in 1978, is the earliest evidence of cloves in the West before Roman times. Cloves reached Rome by the first century AD. Other archaeological finds include a single clove at the Batujaya site in Indonesia, in a layer dating from 100 BC to 200 BC, and starch grains from cloves on stone tools at Óc Eo in Vietnam, a site occupied from the first to the seventh century AD.