Clove Madagascar
Clove Madagascar
Clove Madagascar
Clove Madagascar

Clove Madagascar

The cloves of Madagascar have a penetrating, warm and rich aroma. Their taste is spicy and slightly bitter. They are used to decorate broths, marinades, meats, stews, preserves and many cold cuts.

  • Power of the spice: 10/10
  • Main notes: The warm and rich notes characteristic of cloves
  • Use: stews, poultry, vegetable broths, marinades and meats
  • Origin: Madagascar

Discover and buy online the best clove from Madagascar and its powerful and intense flavor. Discover our advice on uses and recipes. Sale at the best price of whole clove and powder.

Packaging
CGM40g
€4.01

 

Whole Cloves
from Madagascar

« Buy authentic Madagascar cloves at Le Comptoir de Toamasina, where tradition meets excellence. A spice that crossed oceans to enrich your culinary creations. »

Syzygium aromaticum Vanilla Terroir Rich in Eugenol

Madagascar Origin

Grown in the same coastal regions as our vanilla, these cloves are sun-dried for perfect authenticity.

Arnaud's Selection

Well-formed flower buds with a reddish-brown color and an intense aroma rich in natural essential oils.

Culinary Quality

A powerful spice for slow-cooked stews, gingerbreads, and hot spiced infusions (food use only).

Who doesn't have a jar of this famous spice originating from the Maluku Islands? Each clove is carefully sun-dried to yield an essential spice for infusions and cooking alike. Discover the secret of Madagascar spices with our exclusive selection of cloves, highly prized for their intense aroma.

At Le Comptoir de Toamasina, we guide you in choosing top-tier cloves: selecting tightly closed flower buds, favoring a warm reddish-brown hue, and understanding the richness of its essential oil. Buying cloves from us ensures unmatched freshness.

What Sets Us Apart: Rigor Over Marketing

« Integrate this magic spice into your recipes for an explosion of flavors, but do not use it in home remedies or for claimed therapeutic virtues. It is a culinary spice, not a medical cure — despite what some shops try to convey. »

Cloves are indeed studied in pharmacology for their natural compounds (such as eugenol) — but food regulations strictly forbid health claims on food products, and we refuse to make them. This transparency across all Le Comptoir de Toamasina pages guarantees honest information.

Comparative Sensory Analysis

Madagascar Cloves vs Zanzibar vs Standard Ground Clove

Aromatic potency and freshness comparison

Eugenol · Potency
Sweetness · Warmth
Sharp / Camphorated Note
Aromatic Finesse
Madagascar (Our Selection)
Zanzibar / Comoros
Standard Ground Clove

Essential Oil Richness: Whole Madagascar cloves contain 15% to 20% essential oil (mostly eugenol). The Malagasy terroir provides an ideal balance of warm spiciness and sweet woody notes, far superior to commercial ground powder that loses volatile oils during long storage.

Organoleptic Profile

The Olfactory Pyramid of Cloves

Aromatic evolution during cooking or infusion

TOP NOTES Intense Eugenol · Sharp Pungency · Freshness HEART NOTES Woody Warmth · Notes of Cinnamon & Nutmeg BASE NOTES Balsamic · Soft Camphorated · Persistence

What is a Clove?

Cloves are the dried unopened flower buds of the clove tree (Syzygium aromaticum), an evergreen tropical tree originating from Maluku, Indonesia. Acclimatized on Madagascar's East Coast, the tree grows up to 20 meters tall, producing these precious buds harvested right before blooming.

Structure and Terroir

  • The Flower Bud: Carefully picked before opening and sun-dried. Its reddish-brown color signals a high concentration of essential oils (eugenol).
  • Clove Leaves: Highly aromatic, they are sometimes distilled or infused for milder fragrance.
  • Madagascar Terroir: Shared with Madagascar vanilla plantations, the warm coastal soil gives Malagasy cloves exceptional warmth.

Technical Sheet

Product Specifications

  • Country of OriginMadagascar (East Coast)
  • Botanical SpeciesSyzygium aromaticum L.
  • Plant PartSun-dried flower bud
  • Flavor ProfileWarm, pungent, eugenol, nutmeg notes
  • Potency10/10 (Very intense)
  • AllergensNone
  • ApplicationsStews, marinades, hot drinks, baking
  • PackagingAirtight jars and bags

8 Unique Recipes with Madagascar Cloves

Enhance your culinary repertoire with these 8 easy step-by-step recipes.

1. Roast Chicken with Cloves and Lemon

Ingredients

  • 1 whole farm chicken (1.5 kg)
  • 6 Madagascar cloves
  • 2 organic lemons (juice and zest)
  • 3 crushed garlic cloves
  • 3 tbsp olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Make small slits in chicken skin and insert 4 cloves.
  2. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Brush over chicken.
  3. Place remaining lemon halves and 2 cloves inside cavity. Bake for 1h15 to 1h30, basting regularly.
2. Traditional Spiced Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients

  • 1 kg braising beef
  • 4 Madagascar cloves
  • 1 medium onion
  • 75 cl red Burgundy wine
  • 200g bacon lardons, 250g mushrooms, 2 carrots, 1 tbsp flour

Preparation

  1. Stud onion with 4 cloves. Brown beef in a pot with oil. Season.
  2. Add sliced carrots and flour; stir for 1 minute.
  3. Pour in red wine, add studded onion and bouquet garni. Cover and simmer on low for 2h30.
  4. Add mushrooms and lardons 30 minutes before serving. Remove studded onion before serving.
3. Comforting Green Lentil Soup

Ingredients

  • 250g green lentils
  • 3 Madagascar cloves
  • 1 onion, 2 carrots, 1 celery stalk
  • 1 Liter warm vegetable broth

Preparation

  1. Stud onion with 3 cloves. Dice carrots and celery.
  2. Sauté carrots and celery in olive oil for 5 minutes.
  3. Add rinsed lentils, warm broth, and studded onion. Simmer covered for 35 minutes. Remove onion before serving.
4. Braised Pork with Spices and Honey

Ingredients

  • 800g pork shoulder or pork loin
  • 4 Madagascar cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 sliced onions
  • 2 tbsp honey, 50 cl chicken broth

Preparation

  1. Brown pork in a Dutch oven with butter or oil.
  2. Add sliced onions until translucent, then add honey, cinnamon stick, and cloves. Caramelize 2 minutes.
  3. Pour in broth, cover, and simmer gently for 1h30 until tender.
5. Pear & Vanilla Compote with Cloves

Ingredients

  • 6 ripe Williams pears
  • 2 Madagascar cloves
  • 1/2 Madagascar vanilla bean
  • 30g cane sugar

Preparation

  1. Peel, core, and chop pears into pieces.
  2. Place in saucepan with 2 tbsp water, sugar, split vanilla pod, and cloves.
  3. Simmer covered on low heat for 20 minutes. Remove cloves and pod before mashing.
6. Homemade Spiced Mango Chutney

Ingredients

  • 2 ripe mangos
  • 2 Madagascar cloves
  • 100g brown sugar
  • 10 cl apple cider vinegar
  • 1 sliced red onion, 1 tsp ground ginger

Preparation

  1. Dices mangos. Warm vinegar and sugar in a saucepan until dissolved.
  2. Add mangoes, onion, ginger, and cloves.
  3. Simmer on low for 35 to 40 minutes until thick. Remove cloves before bottling.
7. Alsatian Mulled Wine with Citrus & Cloves

Ingredients

  • 75 cl red wine
  • 4 Madagascar cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 sliced organic orange
  • 60g cane sugar

Preparation

  1. Stud orange slices with cloves.
  2. In a saucepan, combine wine, sugar, cinnamon stick, and studded orange slices.
  3. Heat gently for 20 minutes without boiling. Steep 10 minutes off heat, strain, and serve hot.
8. Traditional Honey & Clove Gingerbread

Ingredients

  • 250g liquid honey
  • 250g flour
  • 1/2 tsp ground Madagascar clove
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 10 cl warm milk, 1 sachet baking powder, 1 egg

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F). Warm honey gently.
  2. Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and ground clove in a bowl.
  3. Stir in warm honey, egg, then gradually pour in warm milk until smooth.
  4. Pour into a greased loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes.

Fascinating Clove History

Ancient Roots: Native to Maluku Islands in Indonesia, cloves were documented in 3rd century BCE China, where court officials chewed them to sweeten breath before meeting the Emperor.

A Coveted Monopoly: In Medieval Europe, cloves were worth a fortune. The Dutch maintained a fierce monopoly for centuries, destroying trees on neighboring islands to keep prices high.

Pierre Poivre's Mission: In the 18th century, French botanist Pierre Poivre smuggled clove plants to Mauritius and Madagascar, establishing Madagascar as a leading world producer today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can cloves be used as a medical home remedy?
No. We strictly advise against it. Cloves are a culinary spice and not a pharmaceutical cure.
What is the difference between whole and ground cloves?
Whole cloves yield a subtle, infused aroma (easy to remove before serving). Ground cloves deliver direct, intense flavor perfect for gingerbread or marinades.
Why are vanilla and cloves connected in Madagascar?
They share the same East Coast terroir (Fénerive-Est, Manakara) and their harvest seasons naturally follow one another.

« The flower bud that shaped trade routes — hand-selected by Arnaud Sion on Madagascar's East Coast. »

Order My Madagascar Cloves

Syzygium aromaticum · Madagascar · Selection by Arnaud Sion

Native country
Madagascar
BOTANICAL SPECIES
Syzygium aromaticum L.
INGREDIENTS
Clove
AROMATIC POWER
10/10
ALLERGEN
None
POSSIBLE TRACES OF ALLERGENS
None
PACKAGING
Bottle or Sachet
Preparation / Delivery
Preparation within 24 hours - Delivery within 48 hours
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