Ingredient: Cloves
Cloves look like little iron nails, ‘clou’ being French for nail. Each one is an unopened flower bud, picked pink by hand and sun-dried for days until it turns hard brown.
In Han dynasty China they were called chicken-tongue spice, and courtiers had to hold one in their mouths before speaking to the emperor so their breath wouldn’t offend him. Most of the cloves found in the UK now come from Indonesia, Madagascar and Tanzania, where Pemba is still known as the island of cloves.
As well as sweetening breath, clove oil is used by dentists alongside temporary fillings. My mum always told us to dab clove oil on a sore tooth or gum, and it has always been a winner. Just don’t put clove oil on a baby’s gums when they are teething as it is too strong.
Buy whole cloves, not ground, since the taste of ground cloves fades within months as the oil dries up. To test an old jar, drop one in water and a good oily clove sinks or bobs upright, a tired one lies on its side.
Add cloves to curries, pho and stews. Whole cloves can stud your Christmas ham or spice up your red cabbage. Also try dropping a few into mulled wine and one or two taste amazing in apple crumble.
