Cloves (Laung)
Cloves are unopened flower buds of an evergreen tree found in South India and Eastern Indonesia, picked whilst still green and then dried in the sun until they turn a dark brown colour. The name is derived from the French word ‘Clou’ as the clove resembles the shape of a small nail.
Cloves were cultivated in India 200 years ago after they were brought over by the East India Company from Zanzibar, well known as the clove island just off the east coast of Tanzania. However, cloves are still also imported due to a large demand of the spice.
Cloves are used in rice and some meat dishes and they are also used when making garam masala.