Kitchen Dictionary: clove

Cloves are small nailed shaped flower buds that are dried. They have a sweet, somewhat penetrating flavor. Cloves can be bought whole or ground. Ground cloves are commonly used in baking. Cloves are native to Indonesia. The word is derived from the French clou, meaning "nail." Cloves are harvested mainly in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and India. Whole cloves are often used when preparing ham they are poked into the skin on the outside of the ham. This gives the ham flavor and is decorative

plural: cloves

Ingredient

Season: available year-round

How to select: Sold whole or ground.

Matches well with: apples, beets, game, ham, lamb, pumpkin, sausage, tea, tomatoes, walnuts, wine

Substitutions: 1 tsp whole cloves = 3/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cloves = 1 tsp allspice