Clove

About

Clove has a hard, direct, hot flavor; its name comes from the Latin clavus (nail), reflecting both its shape and intensity. It is traditionally used whole to pin a bay leaf to an onion for flavoring soups, stews and sauces, and more often appears blended with other spices than on its own. Clove also flavors certain boiled sweets, some cordials, and is a common cigarette flavoring in Indonesia; fresh Thai holy basil has a similar flavor and slight numbing effect.

Pairs well with clove

• CiOrangeStudding a firm orange with whole cloves is a classic way to make a pomander, or to flavor mulled wine, where the clove-studded orange…
• FrTomatoEugenol, clove's dominant flavor compound, also contributes to basil's aroma and occurs naturally in tomatoes.
• SpCinnamonCinnamon and clove are staples of mulled wine, plum pudding, and mince pies, but also work in savory contexts, such as simmered into…
• FrAppleOpinions differ on whether apple pie needs clove, food writers Robert Carrier and Elizabeth David took opposite sides.
• CiGingerClove is rarely used alone, since most of its flavor comes from a single compound, eugenol, which needs other spices to round it out.
• MeBeefA clove or two added to beef stew or stock -- as in French pot-au-feu -- or a pinch of ground clove in gravy adds a bittersweet warmth…
• MePorkClove suits pork not only for flavor but because its eugenol and gallic acid content has a notable natural antioxidant and preservative…
• FfVanillaVanilla and clove ("baking spice") flavors often reach wine through vanillin and eugenol naturally present in the oak barrels used for…
• BrBaconSmoking was historically essential to preserving bacon and ham, giving it a stronger flavor than most modern bacon.
• ChHard CheeseFriese Nagelkaas, a Gouda-style cheese from Friesland, takes its name from the clove "nails" crushed and added to it along with a little…
• SuOnionIn bread sauce, a clove-studded onion flavors the dish throughout but is discarded before serving; the onion's tang, softened by the…
• RoCoffeeIn Ethiopia, clove is sometimes ground together with coffee, along with cardamom and coriander seed, adding a second layer of bitterness.
• SpBasilBasil's spiciness partly comes from eugenol, the same compound that defines clove's flavor -- some Italian cooks add a pinch of ground…
• CrPeachPeach naturally contains eugenol, the compound that also defines clove's flavor, which is likely why pickled peaches studded with cloves…