Comoros cloves have an intense, warm, sweetly spicy flavour. Their aroma is powerful and concentrated, so they should be used sparingly — often just 1–3 buds are enough for an entire dish. They can be used either whole or ground.

Savoury dishes and sauces: Excellent in game and beef stews, rich dark sauces, pickled vegetables, and festive roasts. Whole cloves can also be inserted directly into meat before roasting.

Desserts and drinks: Perfect for mulled wine, hot fruit juices, homemade syrups, apple, pear and plum desserts, as well as honey cakes.

Tip: To check the quality of a clove, drop it into a glass of water. A high-quality clove rich in essential oils will usually float vertically with its head pointing upwards or sink, while a drier, more depleted clove tends to float horizontally on the surface.

“Clove is an incredibly powerful spice, and it needs to be used with care. Cloves from the Comoros Islands have remarkable aromatic depth — without the sharp, slightly aggressive pungency that some other cloves can have. At Pavāru māja, we use them very thoughtfully: from classic game marinades and clarified broths to autumn preserves and homemade infusions. Just one or two cloves can give a dish a wonderful roundness and comforting warmth that stays in your memory for a long time.” — Ēriks Dreibants, Chef

Our cloves come from the lush Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean, where the warm tropical climate and volcanic soil create excellent conditions for growing clove trees. The unopened flower buds are carefully harvested by hand at the optimal stage of maturity and then slowly dried in the sun. The cultivation, harvesting, and drying of cloves have a long tradition in the Comoros Islands, with knowledge passed down from generation to generation. In traditional folk medicine, cloves have been used for centuries for a variety of purposes and have traditionally been associated with antiseptic, pain-relieving, digestive, and warming properties.