Cloves

This flavorful spice is the dried unopened flower buds of a tropical evergreen tree. They have a tingling, woody, warm flavor that's widely used for sweet and savory dishes, from Indian rice curries to mulled wine. Whole cloves are also a common mouth freshener in India. Clove varieties are known by the names of the localities in which they are grown. Good quality cloves are fat, oily, and dark brown. Ground cloves are popular in baked goods. The French add cloves to soup stock. Americans dot ham and pork with whole cloves and add them to pickled fruits, spicy sweet syrups, meat gravies, and cranberry punch.