By skyforbes 
Considered one of the strongest and more distinctive spices in the cabinet, cloves are a tropical spice that have a welcome place in everything from cool-weather baked goods to spice blends, and savory recipes alike.
Taste: Sweet
Most Popular Use: Spice blends, meat, baked goods
Cloves are the unopened flower buds of the tropical evergreen clove tree, native to Indonesia. This reddish-brown and nail-shaped spice can be purchased and used whole or ground. Sweet, pungent, and warming, this is an intense spice, and a little goes a long way.
Though we often associate cloves with baked goods and sweets, this distinctive spice can also add depth to savory dishes, meats, and pickles, and is widely used in Indian, Middle Eastern, and North African cuisine. Cloves pair nicely with the flavors of apples, oranges, ham, pork, and chocolate, and other aromatic spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom.