A clove is one of the small, individual sections that make up a whole bulb of garlic. When you peel away garlic's papery outer skin, you'll find the bulb naturally separates into these tear-shaped pieces, each wrapped in its own thin covering. Most recipes that call for garlic ask for a certain number of cloves, not the whole bulb. A single clove might seem small, but it packs powerful flavor that can transform a dish.

The word also refers to a strong, sweet spice that comes from the dried flower buds of the clove tree. These dark brown spikes look almost like tiny nails and taste warm and slightly numbing. Cooks stud whole cloves into hams or use ground cloves in gingerbread and pumpkin pie. Dentists once used clove oil to ease toothaches because of its natural numbing effect. When you smell cloves, you might think of autumn baking or holiday dinners, that distinctive scent that makes a kitchen smell cozy and inviting.