Clove

Clove is the dried, unopened flower bud of the evergreen tree Syzygium aromaticum, native to the Maluku Islands. Its warm, pungent aroma comes chiefly from eugenol.

Syzygium aromaticum: An evergreen tree in the myrtle family whose dried flower buds are the spice clove. This is the tree that produces the buds harvested as clove.
Maluku Islands: An Indonesian archipelago historically known to Europeans as the Spice Islands. The clove tree is native to this archipelago.
Garam masala: A South Asian blend of ground spices whose ingredients vary by region and recipe. Clove is one of the spices sometimes used in this blend.
Nutmeg: A spice made from the seed of Myristica fragrans, a tree native to the Maluku Islands. Like clove, nutmeg made the Maluku Islands a focus of European competition.
Eugenol: An aromatic phenylpropanoid found in clove oil and several other plants. This compound gives clove much of its characteristic scent and pungency.
Spice trade: A network of commerce that moved spices across regions and continents. Clove became a valuable commodity in long-distance trade.
Mulling spices: A mixture of spices steeped in heated drinks, often including cinnamon and clove. Clove contributes a pungent, warming note to these mixtures.
Monopoly: Exclusive control over the supply or trade of a good or service. Colonial powers tried to restrict clove cultivation and trade to maintain high prices.
Clove oil: An essential oil distilled from clove buds, stems, or leaves, rich in eugenol. It concentrates clove’s volatile aroma compounds for culinary and other uses.
Dutch East India Company: A Dutch chartered company that traded in Asia from 1602 to 1799. It sought control over clove production and trade in the Maluku Islands.

Linked from 6 pages