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Cloves
One of four essential ingredients in the traditional Indian spice
mixture garam masala, cloves are tiny chocolate-brown spikes,
known in Spanish as clavos, meaning "nails". Extraordinarily
aromatic and flavorful, they are tiny flower buds of a tropical
evergreen tree, flourishing near the sea in Indonesia, Madagascar,
Zanzibar and the West Indies. Cloves were valued in ancient China
as well as in India. In Western kitchens, they perfume sweets and
add flavor and beauty to baked ham. Harvested by hand just before
they bloom, these tiny scepters infuse pilafs and curries with
their robust flavor. |
