Cloves are the small reddish-brown, unripe flower buds from the tropical evergreen tree known as Syzygium aromaticum. The dried buds have been used since ancient times in many cultures for culinary, medicinal and even decorative purposes.
A necklace of cloves was discovered in a tomb alongside a mummy in Egypt, and during the Han-Dynasty (220-206 BC) in China, court officials were required to hold whole cloves in their mouths to sweeten their breath whilst addressing the Emperor.
Later in Europe, doctors breathed through clove-filled leather beaks believing it would ward off the plague, and German herbalists also used clove in a treatment for gout.
Read more…
