The history of cloves is fascinating. Over the centuries, the clove tree has been introduced to various parts of the world, including South America, Africa, India, and Asia. Cloves have even been found on the floor of a burnt kitchen at the Mesopotamian site of Terqa in Syria, dating back to 1700 BCE. Chinese courtiers in the 3rd century BCE used to chew cloves to freshen their breath before presenting themselves to the emperor. The introduction of cloves to France in the 18th century by French agronomist Pierre Poivre is also a significant part of the spice's history, as he managed to acquire a few clove tree plants from the Moluccan Islands, thwarting Dutch attempts to monopolize the global trade in this spice.