Clove (spice)

The production of cloves is not as difficult as, for example, vanilla . Spice blossoms 2 times a year and gives abundant yields. Fermentation of the collected buds is also not difficult. It occurs in the sun and continues until a specific cod appears in a clove during grinding.

Due to the relatively low production costs, the price of spices is low.

Clove has a pungent taste and a peculiar strong aroma . Moreover, the burning sensation and aroma are concentrated in different places of the bud . The thinnest aroma is given by the cap, and the burning part is located in the petiole . The stalk of a clove after fermentation should become elastic and leave an oily trace of essential oil on paper when pressed.

Ground cloves lose their consumer qualities relatively quickly and are not very suitable for consumption.

To determine the quality of a clove, it is sufficient to throw it into the water with force. Spice should sink, as a last resort, to float vertically, with the cap up. If it floats horizontally, then it is a sign of poor quality (since the heavy essential oil has almost evaporated).

This spice is widely used throughout the world, in Europe and Asia . In addition, it is used in kretek cigarettes in Indonesia, less often in coffee bars in the West, mixed with marijuana and others for smoking.

Cooking

Mainly in cooking, cloves are used to make marinades (mushrooms, fruits, berries, meat, vegetables, less often fish). Spice blends, which include cloves, are used in confectionery, canned fish and sausage production.

For the preparation of sweet dishes ( compotes , puddings , confectionery ), cloves are used either alone or mixed with cinnamon . It is better to use heads (caps) of a carnation.

In a mixture with black pepper, cloves are used in cooking stews, lamb, pork and meat fatty minced meat , strong meat broths , as well as sauces served with poultry (chicken, turkey). In this case, only petioles can be used to enhance the spicy quality of the spice.

The time for laying cloves in different dishes is also different:

• marinades - in the process of their preparation, along with other components
• broths , soups , compotes - 3–5 minutes before readiness.

The clove conveys its taste and aroma equally well to hot and cold dishes, but if the taste remains almost unchanged, then the aroma quickly disappears at an elevated temperature. Therefore, to determine the moment of introduction of cloves in a dish, you must follow a simple rule; the more subtle the aroma is to be obtained, the later it is necessary to lay the clove. In the same place where the tab should be carried out before the heat treatment, you must be careful in dosing, especially in confectionery products. The clove is not suitable for dishes with long-term heat treatment and early spiciness, for example, pilaf .

Clove Bookmark Standards

• pickles
  • mushroom - 1-2 grams per 10 kg of mushrooms
  • fruit and berry - 3-4 grams per 10 liters of fill
• dough - 4-5 buds per 1 kg of nested products in the presence of other spices. The amount of cloves in relation to the rest of the spices in this case will be 1/7 - 1/5.
• curd pastes - 2-3 ground kidneys or 4-5 caps per 1 kg of cottage cheese
• compotes, soups, broths - 1 kidney for 400–500 grams, and in any case, no more than 3 kidneys per liter
• Meat - 2 buds per serving. Ground cloves are used for frying, and whole is used for stewing.

In the presence of other spices share cloves reduced by half.

It is not necessary to introduce cloves in large doses in marinades containing wine, vinegar and other alcohol-containing liquids. It should be remembered that in alcohol the bitter component of the taste of cloves dissolves (is extracted) much stronger.

In the food industry of the USSR , especially in the canning industry, very often the cloves were replaced with domestic spice — colurium .

Cloves are used as raw materials for the production of clove essential oil used in medicine, perfumery, in canning and alcoholic beverage production.

Incense

Carnation is also traditionally used in the countries of the East as incense. Especially popular in China and Japan .

Medicine

Clove essential oil is pharmacopoeial in most developed countries. Component of local irritating, anesthetics, anti-cough ointments and balms . It is most widely used in dentistry , especially as a component for temporary fillings . Often used in aromatherapy , as well as a means of repelling insects.

Carnation is an important component of Oriental (Eastern) type compositions.

Clove buds contain essential (clove) oil - up to 20%, as well as glycosides , karyofillen , oleanolic acid, mucus, humulene, fatty and tannins, vitamins A , B1 , B2, PP, C, minerals magnesium, calcium, sodium , phosphorus, iron. The essential oil contains eugenol (more than 70%), eugenol acetate (up to 13%), karyofillen (5-12%) and its oxide, β-myrcene, a- and β-pinene, ylangen, γ-selenene, β- elemen, heptanol, benzyl alcohol, vanillin and other components.

• Pokhlebkin V.V. All about spices. - M .: Food industry, 1974. - p. 39-42, 8-28. - 207 s.
• Sokolsky I. Spices and World History // Science and Life : Journal. - 2008. - March ( No. 3 ). - pp . 120-126 .