The eleventh day of Christmas – Christmas cloves
Christmas cloves: a festive spice with depth and history
If you’re of a certain age, the sight and scent of cloves will instantly take you back to December and the festive craft sessions of Blue Peter. Remember those little oranges, studded with cloves and tied with ribbon? Hung on the tree or given to Granny as a festive gift?
And if you’re younger, you might not have made pomanders, but you’ll certainly have encountered cloves in glazed hams or fragrant gingerbread.
So why are cloves so closely linked with Christmas, and what’s their story?
The story of cloves: from Spice Islands to Christmas table
Clove trees are indigenous to the Moluccas, the Indonesian Spice Islands. The word clove comes from the Latin word clavus, meaning nail, since the shaft and head of the clove bud resembles a nail.
As early as 200 BCE, envoys from Java (modern Indonesia) to the Han Dynasty court of China brought cloves that were customarily held in the mouth to perfume the breath during audiences with the emperor.
By the fifteenth century, spices were at the centre of the world’s trading economy, much like oil is today. Highly valued for flavouring and preserving food as well as masking the taste of rotten or tainted meat, spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and clove were extremely valuable, worth more than their weight in gold.
Europe’s Age of Exploration was driven in part by the lust for spices — the Portuguese and Spanish were first to reach the Spice Islands; Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition ultimately reached the clove-rich islands in 1521 (though he himself did not survive).
The Portuguese were followed by the Dutch in 1605, and they retained control over the trade for almost two hundred years. The Dutch eradicated cloves on all the Spice Islands except Amboina and Ternate to create scarcity and sustain high prices.
In the latter half of the 18th century the French smuggled cloves from the East Indies to French-controlled islands in the Indian Ocean and the New World, breaking the Dutch monopoly.
Today, while Indonesia remains the largest producer, clove trees are grown also in places such as Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritius and Zanzibar.
How cloves are cultivated and why it matters
Clove trees thrive in thick, loamy soil in a humid, tropical climate with annual rainfall between 150 and 250cm. The trees grow well at any height from sea level up to an altitude of 900 metres.
Clove trees are evergreen, can reach up to 40 feet tall, and are easily recognised by their distinctive blueish-grey bark. The clove tree’s large, shiny, aromatic dark green leaves grow up to five inches long (they resemble bay leaves) and grow in pairs. From July to October and again from November to January, the boughs bear tiny, inch-long red blossoms that gather in clusters near the branch tips.
Flowering begins about the fifth year; a tree may annually yield up to 34 kg of dried buds. When the bud turns deep pink and that colour is almost up to the rounded part of the bud, the buds are hand-picked (in late summer and again in winter) and are then sun-dried.
Sustainability in cloves isn’t just about how they’re grown – it’s about the entire ecosystem. From soil health to community welfare, every step counts. Clove trees are perennial and long-living, making them inherently more sustainable than annual crops. They help prevent soil erosion, maintain biodiversity, and act as carbon sinks.
On top of that, cloves require minimal chemical input if grown traditionally. Organic farming practices are increasingly common in regions like Indonesia, where climate and soil naturally support the growth of clove trees. This reduces the environmental impact while keeping the spice clean and safe for consumption.
However, the global supply of your Christmas cloves is threatened by climate change. The trees require specific conditions in order to grow, namely a temperature of between 20°C and 30°C, a humidity of around 80%, and no prolonged periods without rainfall. This means that the supply of cloves will be under threat as the planet continues to warm. Indeed, in places such as Indonesia, farmers have already started reporting instances of erratic rainfall and longer dry periods.
Medicine as well as nutrition: what cloves bring to the table
Unlike most spices, your Christmas cloves have a recognised medical value. Cloves contain eugenol which is an effective local anaesthetic, and this has long been used in dentistry. Since the 19th century, eugenol has been one of many essential oil components to be used to relieve toothache, and dentists use clove oil in their fillings, anaesthetics and mouthwashes.
Many people believe that there are numerous health benefits associated with cloves. Cloves have been found to have a beneficial effect on cancer treatment. In one laboratory study, scientists found that clove extract was able to slow the growth of multiple types of human cancer cells.
While early studies are promising, it’s important to note that cloves are potent and must be used with care, as there are risks associated with clove oil. It may cause skin, eye, and respiratory irritation, or an allergic reaction on the skin.
Christmas cloves: menu inspiration
Christmas cloves-studded ham
Cloves show up time and again on the Christmas plate, in mulled wines, scented hams, gingerbread. Their warm, sweet spice aroma instantly evokes the season.
Serves 8 adults
Ingredients:
- 1 boneless gammon joint (2 kg)
- 3 tbsp molasses or black treacle
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- Pinch of mace
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- Peel of ½ orange, thin strips
- A handful of whole cloves
For the glaze:
- 5 tbsp dark brown sugar (plus extra to sprinkle)
- 1½ tbsp mustard powder
- Finely grated zest of ½ orange
- 20 ml ginger wine
Method:
- Place the gammon in a large stock-pot, cover with cold water. Add molasses/spices/orange peel, bring to a gentle simmer, skim off any scum. Simmer very gently about 1½ hrs until internal temperature reaches ~68 °C.
- Heat oven to 220 °C. Remove ham, allow to cool slightly. Carefully remove skin, leaving as much fat beneath as possible. Score fat in diamond pattern, stud intersections with whole cloves. Place in a foil-lined roasting tray.
- Mix glaze ingredients into thick paste. Brush over the fat. Roasting: ~25 mins, basting twice, sprinkle extra sugar as you go, until glaze is caramelised and bubbling. Cool completely before serving.
For more festive inspiration, keep an eye out for the rest of our 12 Days of Christmas blogs arriving throughout December – a dive into every ingredient’s history, sustainability and nutrition, along with a delicious recipe …
Christmas bakes – stirring up tradition
01 December – smoked salmon
02 December – turkey
03 December – Brussels sprouts
04 December – parsnips
08 December – red cabbage
09 December – chestnuts
10 December – cranberries
11 December – dates
15 December – walnuts
16 December – clementines
17 December – cloves
18 December – cinnamon