Highly aromatic and full of the warming compound called eugenol, cloves are the buds of a beautiful red flower just about to burst open. They grow on tropical evergreen trees indigenous to the island of Ternate of the Molucca islands, Indonesia. Cloves was once one of the most sought after spices in the world with extensive trading with the imperial courts of China dating back 2500 years. The Romans used the spice as incense but the real culinary use in Europe took of during the middle ages. Our cloves come from small scale spice gardens grown the hills outside the city of Kandy in Sri Lanka. The large buds are incredibly aromatic and full of warm, fruity flavor. They should be used sparingly as they have a tendency to take over dishes. One way to test the quality is to press the stems with your nail and see if oil comes out. And these guys have plenty of oil gushing out.
