Madagascar cloves
Quick answer: Madagascar cloves are among the most aromatic in the world. Harvested on the east coast, they give intense, faintly pungent and woody notes. Madagascar is the world's leading producer of both cloves and clove essential oil.
Madagascar cloves can be used whole or ground, in cooking and in infusions alike. This is a very concentrated spice: a few cloves are enough to scent a whole dish.
Where Madagascar cloves come from
The clove tree (Syzygium aromaticum) grows in the Analanjirofo region, on the east coast. The flower buds are picked before they open, dried in the sun, then sorted. That precise harvest gives the cloves their elongated shape and their abundant aromatic oil.
Aromatic profile: warm, pungent, medicinal
Clove is one of the most powerful spices there is: its warm, resinous scent comes from eugenol, its major compound. It calls up wood, iron nails, winter cooking and hot drinks.
How to use cloves in the kitchen
Cloves are used sparingly. They enrich stocks, marinades, confits, mulled wine and gingerbread. A few cloves stuck into an onion will scent a soup or a pot-au-feu.
- 2 to 3 cloves in a stock or a pot-au-feu.
- In mulled wine or spiced cider.
- Crushed into a gingerbread or French toast mix.
- In a curry, at the start of cooking, with cardamom and cinnamon.
Benefits and properties
Rich in eugenol, clove is traditionally used for its antiseptic effect in the mouth and its digestive action. Its essential oil is known for easing dental pain. Like every powerful spice, it should be used in moderation.
How to store cloves
Whole cloves keep their scent for up to 18 months in an airtight jar. Ground clove oxidises faster: choose whole cloves and grind them as you need them for the best aroma.
Frequently asked questions
How many cloves for a dish? 2 to 4 cloves are enough for four people. Any more and clove flattens everything else.
Whole or ground? Whole for long cooking, to be fished out at the end. Ground for dry marinades and for baking.
Can clove replace another spice? No, its aroma is unique. It is rather a partner to cinnamon, cardamom and pepper.
Buying Madagascar cloves
For infusions and slow-cooked dishes, take the 25 g pouch. You will also find clove essential oil for uses outside the kitchen.
See also: our cloves and the guide to Madagascar spices.
