Cloves
What are Cloves?
Cloves are the dried flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, a tropical tree native to the Maluku Islands (the Spice Islands) in Indonesia - one of the original high-value Silk Road spices that drove centuries of trade and exploration. Their flavour is intensely aromatic, warm, and slightly numbing - the eugenol compound responsible for the clove's distinctive character is also a mild analgesic. A single whole clove has enough aromatic power to scent a whole pot; ground cloves should be used in tiny quantities or they overwhelm everything around them.
In Afghan cooking, whole cloves are used in the warming spice tradition of pilaf and qorma - tempered in fat at the beginning of cooking to release their essential oils into the cooking medium, then typically removed or left whole for the guest to push aside on the plate. Ground cloves appear in spice blends where a small background note of intense warmth is desired without the numbing intensity of a whole clove.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are cloves edible in a finished dish?
Whole cloves used in cooking are technically edible but intensely flavoured - biting into one in a rice dish is an experience most people prefer to avoid. They are typically left on the plate or pushed to the side rather than eaten. Ground cloves incorporated into a spice blend are fully integrated into the dish and pose no issue.
Why do cloves taste slightly numbing?
Cloves contain eugenol at concentrations of 72–90% of their essential oil. Eugenol is a mild local anaesthetic - the same compound used by dentists in dental preparations. In food quantities, the numbing effect is very mild, but it is real and part of what makes cloves distinctive.
Do Naan Kabob's dishes contain cloves?
Cloves are part of the warming spice tradition that informs the Naan Kabob house blend and the slow-cooked dishes. Their presence is felt as part of the overall warming spice character rather than as an identifiable individual flavour.
See also: Cinnamon ,Garam Masala ,Tempering Spices.
The warming depth of cloves is part of Afghan spice tradition - experienced at every Naan Kabob location.
