Clove
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What is soul food seasoning? Soul food seasoning is how African Americans cook, season, and flavor iconic Southern soul food dishes that have only improved with age! What are the ingredients in soul food? My recipe ingredient guides, like this one, highlight essential seasonings, sugars, spices, and classic components integral to iconic Southern soul food recipes.
Cloves (or “clove” when singular) are the aromatic flower buds of an Indonesian tree ground into a spice.

This seasoning ingredient is referred to as:
- Ground clove when it’s a spice.
- Or whole cloves when not ground.
What food do you put cloves in?
Cloves impart bold, sweet flavor and a warm embrace to sweet and savory dishes. They can turn a simple recipe into a whole experience with the taste of the rich tapestry of Southern soul food cuisine.

From meat and proteins to sauces, curries, ciders, brines, pies, fruits, desserts, or toddies. All are recipes that call for fragrant cloves.