Cloves Crop

Cloves Crop
Cloves are the buds of a tree which when dried, produce a unique flavor and aroma that is beloved of chef the world over. The name from the French word clou meaning ‘nail’, which the buds resemble.

Clove tress (Eugenia aromatic or Eugenia caryophyliata) grow to a height of around 10-15 m and can produce crops for over 50 years.

In the first eight years of growth the buds are left to turn into colorful pink flowers.

When a tree reaches maturity, however the buds are painstakingly picked by hand before they open, when they are still white, then separated from their stems.

Bids and stems are dried in the sun on palm-leaf mats or in a special stone platform called a sakufu, during which time they turn brown.

Most of the cloves that harvested are processed into oil at the distillery on Zanzibar Island. The oil is used mainly as a flavoring device in foods such as cakes, pickles, cooked meats and ready made mixes.

It is also used in some antiseptics solutions, such as mouthwashes and in mild painkillers for toothache. Its other major use used is in cosmetics, where it gives a sweet spicy note to many different kinds of perfumes.

The best quality dried bulbs are kept separate and used while in cooking, pickling or the making of spiced wines and liquors. These buds are also distilled into a high grade oil for use in particular fine perfumes.

In cosmetics industry the oil from good Zanzibar clove buds is reckoned to be the best in the word.
Cloves Crop