Clove

Botanical Name: Eugenia caryophyllata, Syzyium aromaticum, Caryophyllus aromaticusEurope: English: clove, German: Nelke, Gewürznelke, Spanish: clavo de especia, Clavo, Portuguese: Cravo, Italian: Chiodo di garofano, Greek: Garífalo, Dutch: Kruidnagel, Russian: Gvozdika, Africa: Hebrew: Tziporen, Arabic: Qaranful, Habahan, Asia: Sanskrit: Shriisanjnan, Hindi: Laung, Sinhalese: Karabu nati, Malay: bunga cebgkeh, Bunga cingkeh, Indonesian: cingkeh, Céngké, Thai: Gram goo, Khan plu , Chinese: Ting hsiang, Ding heung, Vietnamese: Hanh con, Japanese: Choji Cloves are the flower buds of a tropical tree, the clove, which belongs to the Myrtaceae family, and reaches 12 to 15 meters in height .The shape of these buttons is the origin of the Latin name Clavus, nail. The term clove appeared in France around 1225. It is universally used in Asian and European cuisines. In Indonesia and Southeast Asia, it is used in the composition of kretek cigarettes. History: Originating from the Moluccas, the Clove has been used since time immemorial by the Chinese for its medicinal properties. It is said that courtiers chewed a clove before speaking to the emperor to perfume their breath. Necklaces of cloves surrounded the necks of some Egyptian mummies. In 65, Pedanios Dioscorides extolled its virtues in the treatise "On the medical material". It seems that it was the Phoenicians who transported it to Rome. The first mention of this spice in Western Europe seems to be a text which lists, in 334, a gift from the Roman emperor Constantine the Great to Saint Sylvester , bishop of Rome, containing, among other things, 150 pounds of cloves. A gold box containing 2 cloves was found in a Merovingian burial dating from the year 600. At the end of the Middle Ages, it is used in Europe to preserve food. The origin of cloves was determined in the 15th century by Nicolo de Conti, a Venetian traveler. He heard during his great journey in Asia (1444) that cloves were produced in the Banda Islands, in the center of the Moluccas, and transited through Java. In 1511, the Portuguese discovered the Moluccas, clove and nutmeg islands. They confiscated its production and limited it from 1512, during the establishment of their first trading post. Antonio Pigafetta, who participated in Magellan's expedition (1520 - 1522) and established the daily report, was the first to describe the clove tree with precision.In 1605 the Dutch seized the Moluccas and applied the same policy as the Portuguese: restriction of cultivation only on the Moluccas and strict control of production to artificially maintain high prices.Pierre Poivre (1719 - 1786), French adventurer and botanist, revolutionized this commercial policy by seizing and acclimatizing a few clove trees in 1773. The Dutch monopoly was over. Historical bibliography: Account of Magellan's journey, Antonio Pigafetta The book of wonders of the world, Marco Polo Travels of M. de Thévenot containing the relationship of Indostan, the new Moguls and other peoples and countries of the Indies , Jean de Thévenot (1633-1667) It is said…In the Moluccas, a clove tree is planted at each birth, the good growth of the tree is a sign of good omen for the child. A necklace of its nails is also worn there to ward off bad luck. In the Middle Ages, it was considered an antidote to the plague. In 1642, Anders Rydaholm, a Swedish herbalist, specified that "if a man loses his virile potency, he must stop drinking alcohol and replace it with milk spiced with 5g of cloves: this will strengthen him and make him desire his wife again." Properties: Antiseptic, analgesic, anesthetic Widely used in dentistry, against toothacheStimulantUsed against intestinal disorders, urinary and gynecological infectionsAntibacterial, antifungal, (against colibacilli, streptococci, staphylococci, pneumococci) and antimyeocticEugenol extracted from nails is used to make synthetic vanilla...Composition: more than 15% essential oil 70 to 90% eugenol 10 to 15% eugenol acetate 3 to 12% beta-caryophyllene 2% oleaniquet acid traces of: vanillin, furfural, methyl amyl ketone Clove tree: Eugenia Caryophyllata or Syzygium aromaticum family of Myrtaceae. Etymology: Eugenia: in homage to Eugène de Savoie-Carignan (1663-1736) humanist and botanist Caryophyllata: from Greek, karuo (walnut) and phyllon (leaf): with walnut leafTree of 8 - 15 meters, tropical marine climate, trunk smooth light gray. Small flower, composed of 4 white petals and 4 red sepals. Its fruit is an elliptical purple berry, then purplish brown, aromatic. Persistent leathery shiny green foliage, which gives off a sweet scent. Harvest 6 to 8 years later planting, full yield from 20 years and for more than 20 years. Harvesting is done by hand so as not to damage the branches. The buds are harvested at the precise moment when the sepals turn pink. Each tree produces around 10 kg of nails per year. The buds are then declawed (separation of the bud from the peduncle which is kept to extract the essential oil). Then they are dried in the sun which gives them their brown color.