What is Laung called in English?

Laung is called Cloves in English. Scientific name: Syzygium aromaticum. They are the dried flower buds of the clove tree, nail-shaped and dark brown.

What is Cloves called in Tamil?

Cloves are called Kirambu (கிராம்பு) in Tamil. Pronounced: kih-RAHM-boo.

What are Cloves called in Malayalam?

Cloves are called Grambu (ഗ്രാമ്പൂ) in Malayalam. Pronounced: GRUM-boo. Kerala is one of the primary growing regions in India.

What is Laung called in Telugu?

Cloves are called Lavangam (లవంగం) in Telugu. Pronounced: lah-VAHN-gum.

Why do cloves numb the tongue?

Cloves contain eugenol — a compound that activates TRPV1 receptors (the same receptors that respond to capsaicin from chilli). Eugenol also has local anaesthetic properties, blocking sodium channels in nerve cells. This dual action produces the warming-numbing sensation. The same property makes clove oil effective for temporary toothache relief.

How many cloves should I use in biryani?

3–4 whole cloves per biryani serving 4 people is standard. Add them to the hot ghee at the very start — they release their eugenol quickly. More than 4–5 cloves will make the biryani taste medicinal. Always remove whole cloves before serving.

Cloves (Laung) — Complete Guide | Indian Ingredient Encyclopedia

Ingredient identity

Ingredient DNA

Cloves — Laung

Syzygium aromaticum · Family: Myrtaceae · Genus: Syzygium

Origin

Maluku Islands (Indonesia) — Kerala cultivation

What Does Cloves Taste Like?

Flavour Profile — Cloves

Eugenol/Clove intensity

★★★★★

Warmth

★★★★☆

Sweetness

★★☆☆☆

Numbing quality

★★★☆☆

Bitterness

★☆☆☆☆

Aroma Strength

★★★★★

Botanical classification

Kingdom

Plantae

Family

Myrtaceae

Genus

Syzygium

Species

Syzygium aromaticum

Hindi Name

Laung / Lavang

Sanskrit Name

Lavanga

English Name

Cloves

Arabic Name

Qaranful

Names across India

Cloves in Every Indian Language

Language	Name	Pronunciation
English	Cloves	KLOHVZ
Hindi	लौंग — Laung	LOWN-g
Bengali	লবঙ্গ — Labongo	LAH-bong-go
Tamil	கிராம்பு — Kirambu	kih-RAHM-boo
Telugu	లవంగం — Lavangam	lah-VAHN-gum
Malayalam	ഗ്രാമ്പൂ — Grambu	GRUM-boo
Kannada	ಲವಂಗ — Lavanga	lah-VAHN-gah
Gujarati	લવિંગ — Laving	LAH-ving
Marathi	लवंग — Lavang	LAH-vung
Punjabi	ਲੌਂਗ — Laung	LOWN-g
Urdu	لونگ — Laung	LOWN-g
Sanskrit	लवंग — Lavanga	lah-VAHN-gah

Origin and identity

What Is Cloves?

Cloves — laung — are the dried flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, an evergreen tree originally from the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. They are among the most intensely aromatic substances in the entire spice world — a single clove contains enough eugenol to numb the tongue if bitten into, explaining their ancient use in dentistry for toothache relief.

In Indian cooking, cloves must be used with significant restraint — even half a clove too many will dominate an entire dish. They are essential in garam masala, biryani, and rice pilafs, where their role is to provide a warm, sweet-sharp aromatic backbone. They are always used whole in slow-cooked preparations and either whole or ground in spice blends.

What Indian Cooking Loses Without Cloves

Garam masala's warm, aromatic backbone comes significantly from cloves — without them the blend tastes flat and incomplete
Biryani rice cooked with whole cloves has a distinctive perfumed quality that cannot be replicated by other spices
Kashmiri Wazwan and North Indian nihari use cloves as structural whole spices that hold their character across hours of cooking
The numbing eugenol in cloves contributes to the overall warmth perception in slow-cooked meat dishes — distinct from chilli heat
Chai in many North Indian and Kashmiri traditions includes a clove — a tradition that traces to Ayurvedic use of cloves for throat health

Historical significance

Cloves Through History

Historical Record

From Maluku to the Indian Kitchen

Cloves are native to the Maluku Islands (the original Spice Islands) of Indonesia — a fact that drove the European spice trade of the 15th and 16th centuries. However, cloves arrived in India via ancient Arab trade routes long before European involvement, and appear in Sanskrit medical texts as lavanga.

The Ayurvedic tradition valued cloves as a warming, antimicrobial, and digestive spice — uses now understood through cloves' high eugenol content, which has documented antimicrobial properties. Arab traders brought cloves to India and the Arab world from Indonesia, making them one of the most extensively traded spices in pre-colonial history.

In Kerala, cloves began to be cultivated as local production rather than imported, establishing the state as a producer of several previously imported spices. Mughal cuisine adopted cloves as a structural element of the elaborate spice blends required for court cooking.

Explore Indian Food History →

Cooking science

The Science of Cloves

🔬Cooking Science

Eugenol — The Most Concentrated Aromatic in the Indian Kitchen

Cloves contain 70–90% eugenol in their volatile oil — the highest concentration of any major Indian spice. Eugenol activates TRPV1 receptors (the same receptors triggered by capsaicin) in addition to the flavour receptors, producing a warming, mildly numbing sensation. This dual receptor activation is why a bitten clove produces a distinctive warming-numbing feeling entirely different from chilli heat. In cooking, eugenol extracts immediately into hot fat — which is why cloves in biryani ghee perfume the entire dish very quickly. The concentration is high enough that 3–4 whole cloves can overwhelm a dish — always err on the side of fewer.

Storage science

How to Store Cloves

Storage Reference

Whole cloves

3–4 years — eugenol is stable

Ground cloves

4–6 months

Key note

Among the most stable spices — whole cloves keep extremely well

Buying guide

How to Buy Good Cloves

What to Look For — and What to Avoid

✓ Look For

Plump, firm buds with the rounded head intact
Strong, immediate eugenol aroma when one is crushed or snapped
Rich dark brown-black colour
Buds that release a small amount of oil when pressed between fingers

✗ Avoid

Light, hollow, or very dry buds — eugenol has escaped
Stems without the bud head — lower quality
Pale or brown without dark colour
Little or no aroma when cracked

Technique

How to Use Cloves Correctly

Using Cloves in the Kitchen

Technique, quantity, and what to avoid

Biryani: add 3–4 whole cloves to hot ghee at the start — they release quickly
Garam masala: cloves form one of the primary components by aroma weight
Rice pilaf: add 2 cloves per cup of rice to the cooking water
Chai: add 1 clove per cup (maximum) — it dominates very easily
Quantity: maximum 3–4 whole cloves per dish for 4 people — very concentrated
Remove whole cloves before serving — biting into a whole clove is unpleasant

Pairings

What Cloves Pairs Well With

Best Pairings — Cloves

🫙Cinnamon 🌿Green Cardamom 🍚Basmati Rice 🥩Lamb 🧈Ghee 🌿Bay Leaf 🌶Black Pepper 🥛Milk 🍯Honey 🌰Cashews

Famous dishes

Dishes That Use Cloves

Key Dishes Using Cloves

Biryani

All India · Layered rice dish

Essential whole spice in ghee

Garam Masala

All India · Spice blend

Key aromatic component

Pulao

All India · Rice pilaf

Whole in cooking water

North India · Rice pudding

Occasional — 1–2 cloves

Masala Chai

All India · Spiced tea

1 clove per cup

Regional use

Where Cloves Matters Most

Regional Importance

★★★★★

All India

Universal — garam masala and biryani everywhere

★★★★★

Mughlai tradition

Structural spice in court cooking

★★★★★

North India

Biryani, pulao, and meat preparations

★★★★☆

Kerala

Native production — used extensively

★★★★☆

Bengal

Meat biryanis and pulao

★★★☆☆

South India

Used but in smaller quantities than in North

Where Cloves Fits in Indian Cooking

North Indian Cuisine	Essential
Mughlai Cuisine	Essential
Kashmiri Cuisine	Essential
South Indian Cuisine	Common
Bengali Cuisine	Essential
Jain Cooking	Common
Sattvic Cooking	Common

Comparison

Cloves vs Star Anise vs Cinnamon (Warm Spice Trio)

Feature	Cloves	Star Anise	Cinnamon
Key compound	Eugenol (70–90%)	Anethole (80–90%)	Cinnamaldehyde (65–80%)
Flavour	Intensely warm, numbing	Sweet anise, warm	Sweet, warm, woody
Use rate	Very small — 3–4 pieces	Small — 1–2 pods	Moderate — 1 stick
Indian biryani?	Essential	Optional in some versions	Essential
In chai?	Yes — 1 only	Rarely	Yes
Overpowering risk	Very high	Medium	Medium

Nutrition

Nutrition and Key Compounds

Cloves — Honest Nutritional Picture

Culinary quantities — aromatic and flavour contribution, not macro nutrition

Cloves at culinary quantities (3–4 whole per dish) contribute negligible macro nutrition. Eugenol is the primary active compound and has documented antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties. The analgesic effect (pain relief in toothache) is directly related to eugenol's receptor activation mechanism.

Substitutions

Substitutes for Cloves

What Works and What Does Not

No substitute

For biryani and garam masala

Eugenol's specific warm-numbing aromatic profile cannot be replicated by any other single spice.

Partial

Allspice berries

Contain eugenol among other compounds — provides partial clove character but different overall profile. Use same quantity.

No substitute

For dental pain relief use

Only eugenol in sufficient concentration produces the analgesic effect — other spices do not work for this application.

People Also Search

What is Laung in English? Grambu meaning Malayalam Kirambu Tamil name cloves Cloves in Telugu Lavangam How many cloves in biryani? Why cloves numb the tongue Cloves vs star anise difference Eugenol in cloves dental use

Encyclopedia

Green Cardamom — Elaichi

The Spice Map of India

History Series

The Indonesian Spice Trade

Science Academy

Eugenol and Receptor Chemistry

Chef's notes

Practical Insight

From the Kitchen

Cloves are the spice most likely to dominate a dish if over-used. When a biryani or garam masala smells or tastes like a dentist's office, cloves are almost always the cause. Start with 3 whole cloves for a dish serving 4, and taste before adding more. Remove before serving — a single whole clove bitten into mid-meal is unpleasant.

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Black Cardamom

Cinnamon — Dalchini