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Cloves are the dried flower buds of the clove tree, an evergreen tree that grows in tropical climates. Cloves are mostly used for culinary purposes.
The Clove plant belongs to the plant family Myrtaceae (myrtle) and has been used for culinary and medicinal purposes for centuries. The Botanical name Caryophyllus aromaticus is derived from the Latin "clavus" which means nail because of the shape resemblance.
The dried buds are the parts used for culinary purposes as well as for their aromatic qualities: pomanders made from citrus fruits and studded with cloves, were certainly very popular back in the 17th century in England.
Whilst the clove tree is native to the Molucca (spice) Islands (now a part of Indonesia) Madagascar, Brazil, Panang, Ceylon, Sri Lanka and Malayasia are also producers. Trade between the "clove island" Ternate (now Gamalama) and China dates back at least 2500 years. At that time in China, cloves were not only used for cooking but also for deodorising. In early writings from the Han dynasty in China (207 BC to AD 220) it is reported that anyone having an audience with the emperor had to chew cloves to sweeten their breaths and mask any undesirable smells.
Arab traders brought cloves to Europe around the 4th century at which time they controlled the market and set the high prices paid by Europeans. By the early 16th century, Portugal conquered and controlled the spice islands and continued to do so for over 100 years. Then in the early 17th century, the Dutch gained control of the trade and continued to keep prices high for Europeans.
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