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Cloves — They’re Not Just for Christmas Mulled Cider
Allow me to share the history of this spice and recipes that will last all year.
The “Christmas” Spice
Baked ham. Pumpkin pie. Mulled wine. Warm, indulgent, comfort foods. What unites them all? Obviously, they are foods that we eat during the Christmas holidays.
And … they all contain cloves — that super-strong, hot-sweet spice.
What are cloves? Cloves are the fruit of unopened flower buds of a tropical evergreen. The tree (Syzygium aromaticum) is native to Indonesia, but today is grown in other places including Sumatra, India, Brazil, Jamaica, and the West Indies. It reaches heights of at least 30 feet and produces white bell-shaped flowers that turn pink as they mature. The flower buds are hand-picked just before the flowers open. These harvested buds are then sun-dried, which turns them a dark brown.
One tree can yield up to 40 pounds of dried cloves! The name given this spice comes from the Latin word “clavus,” meaning nail, and that definitely describes its shape.
Why Are Cloves Associated With Christmas?
Why is it that the use of cloves seems to reach a frenzied peak during the holidays?
