My grandmother always carried out a strange ritual in the center of her warm kitchen, where the smell of simmering soups and stews filled the air. She would carefully pierce a whole, unpeeled onion with multiple cloves before any pot was placed on the stove. I was intrigued by this process as a child, but I never really understood its importance. I didn’t realize the wisdom of her actions until years later, when I started cooking for myself. A Historical Culinary TraditionThe custom of studding an onion with cloves is not exclusive to my grandmother’s kitchen; it is a traditional...
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