The spice that I have chosen for the blog event "Mistress of Spices" is "CLOVE". Clove has derived its name from latin, meaning Nail. Clove is one of the main spice that we use while preparing many dishes for its strong fragnance.

Name :- CLOVE

Botonical Name:- Eugenia caryophyllus,Syzygium aromaticum

Mostly grown in:- cloves are mostly grown in Banda Islands also known as the Spice land of Indonesia and Madagascar. It is also cultivated in India, SriLanka,Brazil and Zanzibar(Tanzania).

Part of the plant:- It is unopened flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, in the myrtle family.

Physical appearance:- Clove are the unopened flower buds. They are pink when fresh and turn to a dark brown color when dried.They closly resemble a small nail.

Uses in kitchen:- Cloves are used in curry powder, pickle spcies. They also have importance while baking cakes.They also have a role in worcestershire sauce. They play a vital role in pulav, briyani.

Non kitchen uses:-

Medicinal Value:- Clove oil is mainly used for treating toothache. Cloves are also used in treating indigestion, diarrhea, hernia and fungal infection.

Cloves have had its use in Ayurvedic medicines too..It is used for treating respiratory and digestive problems.

Some Interesting myths of clove:-

1) In the 4th century BC, Chinese leaders in the Han Dynasty required those who addressed them to chew cloves so as to freshen their breath.

2)Japanese researchers have discovered that like many spices, clove contains antioxidants that helps to prevent the cell damage that scientists believe
eventually causes cancer.

3)Cloves kill intestinal parasites and exhibits broad anti-microbial properties against fungi and bacteria, thus supporting its traditional use .

4)Sucking on two whole Cloves without chewing or swallowing them helps to control the desire for alcohol.