Syzygium aromaticum
Together with cinnamon, this spice – the dry blossom of the clove flower – is present in most recipes of Brazilian confectionery, flavoring the syrup used to prepare compotes, jams, preserves, cakes and teas. And there’s no need to add a lot of clove to a dish to impart its flavor: distinctively strong, it can be sensed immediately, even in small quantities. Native to Indonesia, it was one of the spices that led European explorers to sail the seas looking for a route to India in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In Brazil, the cultivation is concentrated in Bahia, in cities such as Valença, Camamu and the rural Taperoá.
