The array of fall spices please the palettes of millions all over the US. While Thanksgiving pies and sweets are baking, the smells of these spices create a warm environment and induce dreams of delicious pumpkin pie.
Nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice, all common spices used by the pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving, however there is no document showing evidence of cloves being used.
Cloves are a controversial spice that plague pies and cookies every holiday season. These flower buds have a very intense sweet but strong nectar flavor. These little flowers are an acquired taste for millions of people around the world.
Cloves are best paired with holiday spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. If a correct amount is added, cloves can compliment sweets well. However, the overuse of clove is a common offense in the holiday pastry world. Causing a taste in the mouth that the strongest listerine cannot remove.
Patrick Fleming, a sophomore at LRHS said, “Cloves create a strange taste in my mouth that I just can’t get out. It just sticks around and gets stuck in my teeth.”
Due to the signature, strong flavor of cloves, they are an acquired taste. A survey that was held stated that five people disliked cloves and only one enjoyed their fragrance and taste.
Medicinal Uses
Even if the flavor of cloves may not be a crowd favorite, they have many uses other than pumpkin pie.
Traditional medicine has been made for centuries out of the spice. In two grams of cloves, there is over half of the daily value of manganese. They can reduce oxidative stress which allows the minimal risk of chronic disease. The antibacterial properties of clove oil have also shown to kill e coli, one of the major foodborne illnesses in the US.
Caroline Vita, another sophomore at LRHS, said, “Cloves are okay in very small amounts, but they are always overused in pies and pastries.”
Overall, this spice in cuisine seems to not be a crowd favorite. Cloves seem to have much better medicinal properties than used in the kitchen.
Hi! My name is Elliot and I am a staff writer for The Mycenaean. Two fun facts about me are that I like writing and cars!