98 FOOD FOR THE TROPICS 



Cravo do Maranham or Cucheri of the Indians yields cloves 

 especially in the provinces of Para and Solimoes. 



The unexpanded flower-buds are gathered by hand when 

 bright red, and then dried, causing them to turn a brown 

 colour. In Sumatra they are dried by simple exposure to 

 the sun for several days ; elsewhere they are occasionally 

 smoked on hurdles covered with netting, near a slow wood 

 fire, and are ready for keeping when they break easily 

 between the fingers. The clove is richer than any other 

 spice in essential (or volatile) oil, of which there is from 

 16 to 20 per cent. Like cinnamon, cloves are used for 

 flavouring, and are added to stewed fruits and jams. 



Cardamom 



{EUltaria cardamom urn) 



This plant is called Choti-elachi in Hindustani ; Pooah 

 Lako (Sumatra) ; Ellakay, etc. (Tamil and Telegu) ; 

 Panlat, etc. (Burmah) ; Capulaga, etc. (Malay) ; Eleki 

 (Kisuah, East Africa) ; and Cardamomo (Brazil). It is 

 a native of West and South India, in the moist forests 

 of the mountainous tracts of Mysore, etc. 



The fruit is picked off, and spread out for four 

 days on mats which during the day are supported on 

 four sticks and exposed to the sun, and at night taken ' 

 into the house. The scapes are stripped off, and the 

 drying completed by a gentle fire heat. In Coorg, India, 

 the fruit is stripped from the scape before drying, and 



