Of spices produced on Zanzibar many people think of cloves assuming, erroneously, that the humble clove is the only spice grown on the island. Indeed to arrive on Zanzibar in the clove season is to be met by a clove scented breeze. The huge clove trees, which may be up to 150 years old, fill the air with their aroma.

The coves are the flower buds and are harvested from the trees and laid out on palm leaf mats to dry. When driving around the islands many of these mats are spread alongside the roads with the buds drying in the sun.

Zanzibar at one time produced 90% of the world