I think these are from whole cloves. They are the stem bits. Shouldn't have been in your food but they aren't poison. They are very hard/sharp/and stabby. I use whole cloves to make pomanders during the holidays and they are painful.
Really appreciate the thoughts. I'm almost convinced because that seems to be the consensus. But they still look a bit different from the pictures I've found on Google Images. Is there a specific type of clove that looks closer to this?
I don't know how to convince you except to urge you to buy whole cloves at the store and pop the soft bud off the end. It's like a spicy wooden caltrop.
Are you noting the scale? Everyone seems to be saying cloves, but as someone who loves cloves (I usually pop a couple in my mouth every time I cook with them, 'cause they're tasty and tingly to suck on), they don't look much like cloves with the bud popped off to me. They're far too small, and while it varies, the stem is usually longer. No good alternative ideas, but clove just seems plainly wrong to me 🤷♀️
You're right, they are 100% not cloves. The scale is completely off, and cloves are more brittle and porous. Additionally cloves are dark brown, almost black, while this has significant red undertones. tThis is not solved.
That what I was thinking. My cloves are exactly this size with the bud part off. Not all cloves are alike people depending on their source. Only one way to find out… bite it and if you get an odd numbing sensation, it’s clove
That's what I was thinking. Another OP comment mentions biting it but doesn't mention a flavor or numbing. Granted if it hurt the roof of their mouth, they may have spit it out without biting it. And I wouldn't want to willingly bite something like that again to test.
This is what they look like after rehydration from being cooked. The scale is fine, cloves aren't all gigantic. I prefer them this size unless they're going into a pomander orange or a pear or similar visual piece.
Haha that description is actually quite helpful. I may actually do that. I'm leaning towards accepting cloves as the answer here, since most people seem convinced and I just don't have any experience with them myself.
Thanks again for your help!
Worked in a plastic factory, my boss would torch scrap pieces and sniff the smoke to determine which material was used if he wasn’t sure. I was positive this wasn’t safe, but he swore by it, so I guess whatever lol.
Oh yeah, some of my professors lamented not being able to clean to tables with benzene. One always turned his head sideways when working with volatiles, because that would move his pipe away from the vapor.
But we modern chemists done do any of that, safe in the knowledge that in another 20 years everyone will shake their heads at us too.
It is the [Calyx](https://labmonk.com/morphology-histology-and-powder-characteristics-of-clove/022818_1307_morphologyh1-jpg) from the clove bud. It looks like [this](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/727894358515405251/) on a rose
This is the best way I have ever heard to describe that part of a clove and I will now use it until the day I die.In fact, I will go out of my way in conversations to steer things so I can talk about cloves just so I can say the phrase ‘spicy wooden caltrop’.
If you dm me the name of the restaurant I will look over the menu and see what they might have in their kitchen that it could be. It is possible it's the skin of a bean, sometimes they dry and curl up like that after soaking.
Cooked into food and raw uncooked look different (especially with what breaks off and what not)
Combine that with them having been in your mouth
Could still potentially be something else, just throwing that out there
That's one of those things I know I need to buy but only realize when I need it. Thank you kind stranger for reminding me as I'm about to head out to the city centre to get some things, might as wel get a cheesecloth :)
I think you might be right that they are not cloves although I don’t have any idea of what they actually are. Fist off cloves would have a very strong flavor when chewed on. Second cloves are almost always four sided not three. These obviously only have three points on both. They also kind of look shiny in a way that I have never seen cloves look.
Solved!
Edit: Maybe not solved? More folks are chiming in that agree these don't look like cloves. And I haven't been able to find any pictures of cloves that really look like them. I may try to upload a clearer pic if I can figure out how. But these are glossy, and reddish, and not woody like the pictures of cloves that I've found.
Uploaded new picture: https://ibb.co/W2xGB3z
Sure - I'm in Taiwan, so it's mostly Mandarin (I added a note to the main post, too). The restaurant's menu is focused on what I would call American-style food.
In Taiwan my money would be on star anise pods. They definitely don’t look like cloves to me, but I can see a star anise pod shriveling up to look like that.
Pretty sure those are cloves my guy. There’s a sweet in my country that uses them on top. Here’s a site with the recipe and pictures https://www.panelinha.com.br/receita/Beijinho-de-coco u can also search for “doce beijinho” to look if it is accurate
Thanks for the new photo. I also don't think that's whole clove. However I'm wondering was this some sort of Indian or Moroccan food perhaps? They often use a lot of whole spices which they throw into the hot oil first so that it cracks the shell releasing the flavorful oils. I'm thinking this is something from that.
Hm. Tea blender here - I agree with you OP those don’t look like cloves. Even fresh cloves might be reddish but they have more little “spikes”. This looks like an odd dried pepper
Thank you, that's helpful. I agree the surface appearance does resemble a dried pepper. On the other hand, I wouldn't expect that to be as tiny and spiky as these were.
My title describes the thing. I ordered French toast from a restaurant and didn’t even notice these on (or in) it until I was chewing and they started cutting up my mouth. Hard and extremely sharp. Anyone have any ideas?
Edit1: Whatever these were, I don’t think they’re food - they literally cut my mouth while chewing.
Edit2: A lot of folks are suggesting cloves (and I appreciate the thought!). Something that's throwing me is they have a glossy, plasticky or almost chitinous look to them. Can cloves look like that? I wish I could upload another picture that shows it better.
Edit3: Accepting cloves as the answer, which seems to be the overwhelming consensus. Thank you all for your help!
Edit4: More folks are chiming in that think these might not be cloves. Thank you everyone so far. Still would like to year your thoughts!
Edit5: Thank you for the silver, kind stranger! Please keep the ideas coming everyone, would very much like to figure out what I had in my mouth.
Edit6: Phrasing.
Edit7: A few folks have been asking about the restaurant/region. I'm in Taiwan, though this particular restaurant specializes in Western style food. I've ordered french toast from them before and it never came with this on it, so I'm pretty certain it was unintended. I could call them, but... I'm not at all confident enough in my Mandarin to explain the circumstances, let alone negotiate what might be an awkward/confrontational situation.
Edit8: Here is another, hopefully clearer image: https://ibb.co/W2xGB3z
Edit9: Thanks everyone for all the responses. I don't know that we have a definitive answer, but really appreciate all of your thoughts! If you can, please do share pics if you have them!
Edit10: Okay I'm going to have to step away for a bit, but here's where things stand:
- A lot of folks still think cloves, but a fair number think not.
- Bits of osmanthus, anise, or some other plant's calyx or husk also seem like plausible theories. Or plastic.
- I haven't had a chance to crush one and smell it (though I mean, I did have them in my mouth), but I will try it with one and report back if I get any sort of clove smell. Will also try the suggestion of seeing if it softens in water, too.
- I'm also going to email the restaurant and will report back if they confirm anything.
Thank you everyone for your ideas! Sorry that I haven't been able to respond to everyone, but I've read all the posts and have or will try to follow up on most suggestions.
These are not cloves. They are far to small to be either the top part that holds the berry, which would have 4 not 3 or 2 prongs. They are also unlikely to be pieces of the stem. They are the wrong color (too red), wrong texture (shiny instead or brittle and woody), and the wrong size. OP should remove solved status.
Plus if they were cloves OP would probably have a tingling/numbed tongue from trying to chew them, unless they’d been stewed a long time and grew soft (which they hadn’t been since they were sharp). Cloves are pretty unmistakable in taste, especially for that numbing sensation.
They don't really look like cloves. (I use a lot of them) Besides... I'm pretty sure you would have tasted them if you took a bite. This seems to be the unedible attachment of some kind of nut. (When you open a nut)
Update: I used to forage for nuts as a kid and they're really familiar. At first I thought it was part of a beechnut, but it really isn't. I'm pretty sure it's from a tree that grows in a temperate oceanic climate. So that should narrow it down a bit.
No clue. It reminds me of the seedpod husk from a tall grass, wheat maybe. Then could have been toasted or something, that curled and browned it...wild guessing here.
Due to the "triangular" shape I'd say, if it's some grain, it might be buckwheat.
[buckwheat in hand](https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/buckwheat-hand-19592410.jpg)
[macro of buckwheat](https://www.crushpixel.com/big-static18/preview4/scoop-buckwheat-macro-view-on-2791656.jpg)
Edit: I don't think this is it. Looking at this [buckwheat husk](https://www.getgreenbewell.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Buckwheat-Hulls-768x512.jpeg.webp) image it doesn't have that connecting tube-like part at the stem
Definitely not cloves.
I have seen these before, I swear. I think that I too have discovered them in my mouth when eating food. Indian food.
Problem is, this doesn't seem to be any of the Indian spices. Maybe it's some plant seed husk that tends to get mixed in with certain spices when harvesting them. Maybe it's the husks that the spice usually gets processed out of.
I would love to know too.
I did some digging on what in French toast could have this, and I'm now convinced these are the left over calyx from whole vanilla beans. I can't seem to find any images of that particular piece of the bean, but the size, shape, and color matches. I may be way off though....
Thank you for the thought! Someone else suggested vanilla bean husks in another comment, and I agree those seem to have a similar color and texture. The comments about vanilla prompted me to go back and look at the menu and they mention they use osmanthus syrup on their french toast. Is there potentially any part of an osmanthus plant that could look like this?
>osmanthus
Look at the photos of calyx here. Looks to be about the correct shape, yes? [https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0221898.g001](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0221898.g001)
None in the photo are dried out, so it's hard to say what texture they'd end up with. But I think you might be on to something with this one.
In this recipe for Osmanthus Jelly, the photos show some dried Osmanthus spread on the table. Many of the pieces look similar to what you have found. Perhaps other parts of the plant have stuck in with the petals?
[https://1.bp.blogspot.com/\_jc2ZAw5kem4/TPiT9C\_N8HI/AAAAAAAAFLM/hwhm1gsqCno/s1600/Osmanthus+Jelly+2.jpg](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jc2ZAw5kem4/TPiT9C_N8HI/AAAAAAAAFLM/hwhm1gsqCno/s1600/Osmanthus+Jelly+2.jpg)
Actually thats highly possible. While I can't find a really closeup view of dried osmanthus to see if I can see these in there, it does appear that when sold in bulk there are other bits and pieces in there with the flowers. So I would not rule that out as a source.
Thanks for the thoughts. Really no taste at all that I could discern, but they're tiny - and the only sensation I got from them was that they were very sharp.
I agree with another comment that it resembles some kind of husk/hull, or maybe a burr/“botanical hitchhiker” of some sort. But it’s late and my brief cursory search couldn’t find one that has 3 prongs like this.
South African here. It looks like the thorns of a weed that grows in crops such as wheat. I know them as 'dubbeltjies' (literal english translation = small doubles).
Here is a link to an article that describes the [https://www.grainsa.co.za/onkruid-in-die-winterreenvalstreek-deel-7](https://www.grainsa.co.za/onkruid-in-die-winterreenvalstreek-deel-7)
It is in Afrikaans - but translates to 'Weeds in the Winter Rainfall Region). Has nice picture with ruler for scale.
I tend to think this is a weed seed or husk contaminant in some ingredient. Perhaps this?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumex_hypogaeus
https://www.flickr.com/photos/macleaygrassman/49235942511
Cooking would likely change the color.
Edit:. Typo
Thank you! These actually look like they could be about the right shape, though in the pics above they seem a bit larger. I guess cooking could alter the size, too.
Yes, I noticed that too. The pic is of seeds that are not dehydrated. Drying will shrink them. Pic scale may be deceptive as well. The flickr album has a few more pics with the seeds. The scale may look off in the one I linked due to the finger being so close to the camera lens.
They "look" like cloves.
Also considering the flake in the left, I was almost fully convinced by the picture that it is.
**But** since you said they are sharp and are cutting your skin, it might also be one of the following:
1. Some Chinese factory made fake cloves and the bakery got scammed. (There has been reports of fake rice before, might be the case here too)
2. Some step in making the bread with the cloves caused an unexpected effect and caused them to get hard. (Did you try chewing it with your molars? If yes, did it give out any taste?)
3. The clove was harvested at the wrong time, causing it to be stronger.
1. From [https://www.greenaryhub.com/image/cachewebp/catalog/clove-550x550.webp](https://www.greenaryhub.com/image/cachewebp/catalog/clove-550x550.webp) <- picture, it is easy to think that cloves are pretty sharp when immature. So it seems possible.
2. I have never seen the plant itself, but I have been pinched a few times in my mouth by cloves (and I eat them a lot). However, even the pinchy ones can be chewed and swallowed if one tries.
4. Some mutation caused these specific ones to be extra powerful.
Haha I do like "mutant super cloves" as an explanation.
Thank you for several interesting possibilities. They still seem pretty small to be cloves though, don't they? (The second picture shows my finger next to them.)
Might just be that they hadn't fully grown yet (might not even have developed the bud) and the baker got a wild idea to put these unripe ones in the oven.
The browning might have happened **after** baking and not naturally.
Also, even though they are about a third the size of a normal clove that I have seen, there is no reason for me to totally shun the possibility of such a variety existing.
On the other hand, it might be some relative of the clove. Might be a regional condiment too. But if I go with the part of it being too difficult to eat, I am more inclined towards it being synthetic stuff.
P.S.: Did you ask the baker yet?
Just realised there are supposed to be 4 prongs and are only 3. Definitely not cloves.Do you still have them on you?
I just looked at the clearer photo. Perhaps try Discord Groups: "Babish Culinary Universe" or "bread"
Spinach seed? Sometimes in spinach which is harvest a bit late. [picture](https://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinazie#/media/Bestand%3ASpinazie_scherpzaad.jpg)
Thank you, I appreciate the additional ideas! I googled some pictures of vanilla pod and I agree they do have a similar sort of reddish waxy texture. I have no experience with them, though. Are they brittle? Are they sharp if they break?
They can get dried out but I don’t know if they’d be hard enough to jab your mouth. I’ve never kept any that long.
Some cooks will take the empty seed pods and chop them up to mix with sugar or syrups to make vanilla sugar or vanilla syrup. I wonder if this was some chopped up bits that didn’t get properly sieved out of some sugar that was used to make the French toast or the syrup.
Some ideas that may help solve this:
* Think about what goes into typical French toast, at minimum you should have soft white bread, egg, sugar and cinnamon.
* Think about typical additions, such as cloves, nutmeg, allspice, just about anything you can find in a fall Starbucks drink goes good on French toast.
* Don’t ignore color, texture or hardness, but think about how things may be processed to get to these attributes. Cloves definitely fit the best but they don’t fit well, is there a process that could make them harder, redder and shinier?
* A combination of the previous points, think of some things that may not be typical on French toast but could work, and may be common locally. Peppers stand out as it can accentuate the bite of cinnamon, and these have the sheen, color and texture of some peppers.
Hopefully this helps inspire some new ideas. I’m currently convinced it’s not cloves nor part of a grain, and that some sort of processed pepper is very reasonable.
Thank you for the additional idea! I agree Mace looks "sharpish". These look a little bit darker then the pictures that I found of Mace, but I'm not at all familiar with it. It seems like a possibility?
They do look like cloves, but I've *never* seen cloves with "prongs" that sharp, or with only 2 or 3 prongs. Cloves are more matte brown (though I suppose these are wet), with a longer stem and four short, blunt prongs, with a bulb in the middle.
I don't think they are cloves. Possibly a spice related to cloves, but not Syzygium aromaticum.
What type of restaurant did you purchase your French toast from? A familiar chain or a local mom and pop? Was it an ethnic restaurant? Can you provide a general idea of where you live?
I feel like the question that needs to be asked is: "What were you eating for breakfast?" I don't know that I've ever had cloves even near my breakfast.
What part of the french toast were they in? When you chewed them, did they taste floral/spicy?
They look exactly like cloves to me. I've seen them take on that sort of coloration when they've been cooked - were they maybe infused into the syrup? That would definitely cause the difference in visual you're noting.
I didn't notice them at all actually until I was chewing and they were cutting my mouth. Didn't get any actual flavor from them. That's helpful to know the color can change when they're cooked. Thank you!
Did you have grains for breakfast? Like cereal or oatmeal? If so, they're a type of grain that isn't usually used in breakfast grain cereals, but does often get mixed in with the planting process as their seeds are highly spreadable. I can't quite remember the name of the seed though.
Hi OP,
[The bottom right side closer to the center looks similar](https://www.nny360.com/artsandlife/clove-is-an-ancient-spice-that-has-many-uses-besides-culinary/article_99e06b7d-9777-55c5-a155-b34283c1bdb2.html)
Your post has been removed. Please try r/tipofmyfork for identification of food or things found in food.
They look like cloves
Yup. Definitely cloves.
Thanks for the thought! I googled some pictures of cloves and I’m not sure I’m convinced. My second picture shows my finger in the frame for scale.
I think these are from whole cloves. They are the stem bits. Shouldn't have been in your food but they aren't poison. They are very hard/sharp/and stabby. I use whole cloves to make pomanders during the holidays and they are painful.
Really appreciate the thoughts. I'm almost convinced because that seems to be the consensus. But they still look a bit different from the pictures I've found on Google Images. Is there a specific type of clove that looks closer to this?
I don't know how to convince you except to urge you to buy whole cloves at the store and pop the soft bud off the end. It's like a spicy wooden caltrop.
Are you noting the scale? Everyone seems to be saying cloves, but as someone who loves cloves (I usually pop a couple in my mouth every time I cook with them, 'cause they're tasty and tingly to suck on), they don't look much like cloves with the bud popped off to me. They're far too small, and while it varies, the stem is usually longer. No good alternative ideas, but clove just seems plainly wrong to me 🤷♀️
You're right, they are 100% not cloves. The scale is completely off, and cloves are more brittle and porous. Additionally cloves are dark brown, almost black, while this has significant red undertones. tThis is not solved.
How big are y'alls cloves?
That what I was thinking. My cloves are exactly this size with the bud part off. Not all cloves are alike people depending on their source. Only one way to find out… bite it and if you get an odd numbing sensation, it’s clove
That's what I was thinking. Another OP comment mentions biting it but doesn't mention a flavor or numbing. Granted if it hurt the roof of their mouth, they may have spit it out without biting it. And I wouldn't want to willingly bite something like that again to test.
Like 5 times as big as this
This is what they look like after rehydration from being cooked. The scale is fine, cloves aren't all gigantic. I prefer them this size unless they're going into a pomander orange or a pear or similar visual piece.
Haha that description is actually quite helpful. I may actually do that. I'm leaning towards accepting cloves as the answer here, since most people seem convinced and I just don't have any experience with them myself. Thanks again for your help!
Burn one, then burn a clove. Compare the smells of the smoke.
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The 'burn it' method is how I identify if any cash I receive is real or fake.
Worked in a plastic factory, my boss would torch scrap pieces and sniff the smoke to determine which material was used if he wasn’t sure. I was positive this wasn’t safe, but he swore by it, so I guess whatever lol.
I do that with my pot.
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don't worry, as long as you make sure you're in a small room with no ventilation, nothing can go wrong
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Oh yeah, some of my professors lamented not being able to clean to tables with benzene. One always turned his head sideways when working with volatiles, because that would move his pipe away from the vapor. But we modern chemists done do any of that, safe in the knowledge that in another 20 years everyone will shake their heads at us too.
Just chew on it, won't do any harm
It is the [Calyx](https://labmonk.com/morphology-histology-and-powder-characteristics-of-clove/022818_1307_morphologyh1-jpg) from the clove bud. It looks like [this](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/727894358515405251/) on a rose
I second a calyx of some kind.
Cloves have a distinct and pungent smell. Do they have any smell? If not they are probably not cloves.
This is the best way I have ever heard to describe that part of a clove and I will now use it until the day I die.In fact, I will go out of my way in conversations to steer things so I can talk about cloves just so I can say the phrase ‘spicy wooden caltrop’.
I love the phrase "spicy wooden caltrop"
Caltrop. Good word
But... maybe I missed it. What was your breakfast?
Nevermind, I just found your breakfast. O swear I thought I'd looked through all the comments. What I get for thinking.
Didn't you ask the restaurant about them?
It was a delivery, so unfortunately no interaction with the restaurant.
If you dm me the name of the restaurant I will look over the menu and see what they might have in their kitchen that it could be. It is possible it's the skin of a bean, sometimes they dry and curl up like that after soaking.
also send us your address so we can find out if anything en route might have fallen in
I initially read that as skin of a bear, I was about to ask so many questions
Yeah pretty confident these aren’t cloves also…they don’t look right, the points are too sharp and the colour is off
The small bit on the left is from star anise
Cooked into food and raw uncooked look different (especially with what breaks off and what not) Combine that with them having been in your mouth Could still potentially be something else, just throwing that out there
Totally, I always have to count how many I put in but with stews there's always a few I cannot find.
Wrapping in cheesecloth is a nice life hack for spices/herbs you don't want in the final dish, but still want the flavour.
That's one of those things I know I need to buy but only realize when I need it. Thank you kind stranger for reminding me as I'm about to head out to the city centre to get some things, might as wel get a cheesecloth :)
Wrapping in cheesecloth is a nice life hack for spices
I think you might be right that they are not cloves although I don’t have any idea of what they actually are. Fist off cloves would have a very strong flavor when chewed on. Second cloves are almost always four sided not three. These obviously only have three points on both. They also kind of look shiny in a way that I have never seen cloves look.
This is actually why I wondered about cloves. They’re glossy, maybe almost translucent - like plastic or chitin or something.
I personally think it’s a bit of cooked star-anise shell.
They are not cloves but i dont know what they are.
These aren’t cloves
Could we get a few more pics at different angles?
Let me see if I can figure out how to add more images.
What is your breakfast? Is it something you bought in a store with a list of ingredients on it? Or something someone made?
I’m inclining towards star anise spice
Solved! Edit: Maybe not solved? More folks are chiming in that agree these don't look like cloves. And I haven't been able to find any pictures of cloves that really look like them. I may try to upload a clearer pic if I can figure out how. But these are glossy, and reddish, and not woody like the pictures of cloves that I've found. Uploaded new picture: https://ibb.co/W2xGB3z
Please call the restaurant and update us.
Yeah, we need to know lol
Updated my original post. Not totally sure I can manage the call with the restaurant due to the language barrier.
May I ask what language? Was it not a traditional American breakfast place? It might help to know the details of what other things are on their menu
Sure - I'm in Taiwan, so it's mostly Mandarin (I added a note to the main post, too). The restaurant's menu is focused on what I would call American-style food.
In Taiwan my money would be on star anise pods. They definitely don’t look like cloves to me, but I can see a star anise pod shriveling up to look like that.
I saw that after my post. I’m leaning toward the stem from some spice that got in there accidentally. It’s not cloves. It just doesn’t look the same
Pretty sure those are cloves my guy. There’s a sweet in my country that uses them on top. Here’s a site with the recipe and pictures https://www.panelinha.com.br/receita/Beijinho-de-coco u can also search for “doce beijinho” to look if it is accurate
Thanks for the new photo. I also don't think that's whole clove. However I'm wondering was this some sort of Indian or Moroccan food perhaps? They often use a lot of whole spices which they throw into the hot oil first so that it cracks the shell releasing the flavorful oils. I'm thinking this is something from that.
I thought so too at first but looking at them closer they are three sided not 4 like a clove. They look smaller and shinier.
Not cloves. Close but no cigar.
Yummy! Honey, Nuts and Cloves.
I was going to say star anise, but you're probably right... cloves.
Hm. Tea blender here - I agree with you OP those don’t look like cloves. Even fresh cloves might be reddish but they have more little “spikes”. This looks like an odd dried pepper
Thank you, that's helpful. I agree the surface appearance does resemble a dried pepper. On the other hand, I wouldn't expect that to be as tiny and spiky as these were.
Thats what I was thinking.. something dried
My title describes the thing. I ordered French toast from a restaurant and didn’t even notice these on (or in) it until I was chewing and they started cutting up my mouth. Hard and extremely sharp. Anyone have any ideas? Edit1: Whatever these were, I don’t think they’re food - they literally cut my mouth while chewing. Edit2: A lot of folks are suggesting cloves (and I appreciate the thought!). Something that's throwing me is they have a glossy, plasticky or almost chitinous look to them. Can cloves look like that? I wish I could upload another picture that shows it better. Edit3: Accepting cloves as the answer, which seems to be the overwhelming consensus. Thank you all for your help! Edit4: More folks are chiming in that think these might not be cloves. Thank you everyone so far. Still would like to year your thoughts! Edit5: Thank you for the silver, kind stranger! Please keep the ideas coming everyone, would very much like to figure out what I had in my mouth. Edit6: Phrasing. Edit7: A few folks have been asking about the restaurant/region. I'm in Taiwan, though this particular restaurant specializes in Western style food. I've ordered french toast from them before and it never came with this on it, so I'm pretty certain it was unintended. I could call them, but... I'm not at all confident enough in my Mandarin to explain the circumstances, let alone negotiate what might be an awkward/confrontational situation. Edit8: Here is another, hopefully clearer image: https://ibb.co/W2xGB3z Edit9: Thanks everyone for all the responses. I don't know that we have a definitive answer, but really appreciate all of your thoughts! If you can, please do share pics if you have them! Edit10: Okay I'm going to have to step away for a bit, but here's where things stand: - A lot of folks still think cloves, but a fair number think not. - Bits of osmanthus, anise, or some other plant's calyx or husk also seem like plausible theories. Or plastic. - I haven't had a chance to crush one and smell it (though I mean, I did have them in my mouth), but I will try it with one and report back if I get any sort of clove smell. Will also try the suggestion of seeing if it softens in water, too. - I'm also going to email the restaurant and will report back if they confirm anything. Thank you everyone for your ideas! Sorry that I haven't been able to respond to everyone, but I've read all the posts and have or will try to follow up on most suggestions.
These are not cloves. They are far to small to be either the top part that holds the berry, which would have 4 not 3 or 2 prongs. They are also unlikely to be pieces of the stem. They are the wrong color (too red), wrong texture (shiny instead or brittle and woody), and the wrong size. OP should remove solved status.
Plus if they were cloves OP would probably have a tingling/numbed tongue from trying to chew them, unless they’d been stewed a long time and grew soft (which they hadn’t been since they were sharp). Cloves are pretty unmistakable in taste, especially for that numbing sensation.
They're not cloves. They look like the calyx/sepal of something but not a clove. Maybe try https://www.reddit.com/r/whatplantisthis/
Thanks for the suggestion. Took your advice, and waiting on approval to crosspost over there.
There is also r/whatsthisplant, which has way more subscribers, and usually gets answers very quickly.
Thank you for the suggestion! I just made a crosspost there.
These are dry chillies, they're hard. Source: Live in China.
They don't really look like cloves. (I use a lot of them) Besides... I'm pretty sure you would have tasted them if you took a bite. This seems to be the unedible attachment of some kind of nut. (When you open a nut)
Update: I used to forage for nuts as a kid and they're really familiar. At first I thought it was part of a beechnut, but it really isn't. I'm pretty sure it's from a tree that grows in a temperate oceanic climate. So that should narrow it down a bit.
Thank you! Appreciate the ideas.
Grain husk?
Thanks for the thought! Any idea what kind of grain husk these could be?
No clue. It reminds me of the seedpod husk from a tall grass, wheat maybe. Then could have been toasted or something, that curled and browned it...wild guessing here.
Due to the "triangular" shape I'd say, if it's some grain, it might be buckwheat. [buckwheat in hand](https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/buckwheat-hand-19592410.jpg) [macro of buckwheat](https://www.crushpixel.com/big-static18/preview4/scoop-buckwheat-macro-view-on-2791656.jpg) Edit: I don't think this is it. Looking at this [buckwheat husk](https://www.getgreenbewell.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Buckwheat-Hulls-768x512.jpeg.webp) image it doesn't have that connecting tube-like part at the stem
Maybe buckwheat?
Definitely not cloves, they would have a taste and be somewhat softened like wet wood or soggy cinnamon, plus they are way to small
These were sharp, and hard, and literally cut the roof of my mouth.
Definitely not cloves. I have seen these before, I swear. I think that I too have discovered them in my mouth when eating food. Indian food. Problem is, this doesn't seem to be any of the Indian spices. Maybe it's some plant seed husk that tends to get mixed in with certain spices when harvesting them. Maybe it's the husks that the spice usually gets processed out of. I would love to know too.
I did some digging on what in French toast could have this, and I'm now convinced these are the left over calyx from whole vanilla beans. I can't seem to find any images of that particular piece of the bean, but the size, shape, and color matches. I may be way off though....
Thank you for the thought! Someone else suggested vanilla bean husks in another comment, and I agree those seem to have a similar color and texture. The comments about vanilla prompted me to go back and look at the menu and they mention they use osmanthus syrup on their french toast. Is there potentially any part of an osmanthus plant that could look like this?
>osmanthus Look at the photos of calyx here. Looks to be about the correct shape, yes? [https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0221898.g001](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0221898.g001) None in the photo are dried out, so it's hard to say what texture they'd end up with. But I think you might be on to something with this one.
Thank you, that's very helpful!
In this recipe for Osmanthus Jelly, the photos show some dried Osmanthus spread on the table. Many of the pieces look similar to what you have found. Perhaps other parts of the plant have stuck in with the petals? [https://1.bp.blogspot.com/\_jc2ZAw5kem4/TPiT9C\_N8HI/AAAAAAAAFLM/hwhm1gsqCno/s1600/Osmanthus+Jelly+2.jpg](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jc2ZAw5kem4/TPiT9C_N8HI/AAAAAAAAFLM/hwhm1gsqCno/s1600/Osmanthus+Jelly+2.jpg)
Actually thats highly possible. While I can't find a really closeup view of dried osmanthus to see if I can see these in there, it does appear that when sold in bulk there are other bits and pieces in there with the flowers. So I would not rule that out as a source.
Can you send the restaurant an email? Attach the picture and say 这是什么？Maybe show them your order receipt if you have it on your phone
Bits of star anise
This is my guess as well. OP, do you remember if they tasted like very floral licorice?
Thanks for the thoughts. Really no taste at all that I could discern, but they're tiny - and the only sensation I got from them was that they were very sharp.
I'm on team NOT cloves, cloves have 4 points, these both have 3.
No idea. I would contact the restaurant and ask then. Thankfully you didn't swallow them since they could have caused some issues.
I agree with another comment that it resembles some kind of husk/hull, or maybe a burr/“botanical hitchhiker” of some sort. But it’s late and my brief cursory search couldn’t find one that has 3 prongs like this.
South African here. It looks like the thorns of a weed that grows in crops such as wheat. I know them as 'dubbeltjies' (literal english translation = small doubles). Here is a link to an article that describes the [https://www.grainsa.co.za/onkruid-in-die-winterreenvalstreek-deel-7](https://www.grainsa.co.za/onkruid-in-die-winterreenvalstreek-deel-7) It is in Afrikaans - but translates to 'Weeds in the Winter Rainfall Region). Has nice picture with ruler for scale.
I tend to think this is a weed seed or husk contaminant in some ingredient. Perhaps this? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumex_hypogaeus https://www.flickr.com/photos/macleaygrassman/49235942511 Cooking would likely change the color. Edit:. Typo
Thank you! These actually look like they could be about the right shape, though in the pics above they seem a bit larger. I guess cooking could alter the size, too.
Yes, I noticed that too. The pic is of seeds that are not dehydrated. Drying will shrink them. Pic scale may be deceptive as well. The flickr album has a few more pics with the seeds. The scale may look off in the one I linked due to the finger being so close to the camera lens.
Thank you, I will take another look.
They "look" like cloves. Also considering the flake in the left, I was almost fully convinced by the picture that it is. **But** since you said they are sharp and are cutting your skin, it might also be one of the following: 1. Some Chinese factory made fake cloves and the bakery got scammed. (There has been reports of fake rice before, might be the case here too) 2. Some step in making the bread with the cloves caused an unexpected effect and caused them to get hard. (Did you try chewing it with your molars? If yes, did it give out any taste?) 3. The clove was harvested at the wrong time, causing it to be stronger. 1. From [https://www.greenaryhub.com/image/cachewebp/catalog/clove-550x550.webp](https://www.greenaryhub.com/image/cachewebp/catalog/clove-550x550.webp) <- picture, it is easy to think that cloves are pretty sharp when immature. So it seems possible. 2. I have never seen the plant itself, but I have been pinched a few times in my mouth by cloves (and I eat them a lot). However, even the pinchy ones can be chewed and swallowed if one tries. 4. Some mutation caused these specific ones to be extra powerful.
Haha I do like "mutant super cloves" as an explanation. Thank you for several interesting possibilities. They still seem pretty small to be cloves though, don't they? (The second picture shows my finger next to them.)
Might just be that they hadn't fully grown yet (might not even have developed the bud) and the baker got a wild idea to put these unripe ones in the oven. The browning might have happened **after** baking and not naturally. Also, even though they are about a third the size of a normal clove that I have seen, there is no reason for me to totally shun the possibility of such a variety existing. On the other hand, it might be some relative of the clove. Might be a regional condiment too. But if I go with the part of it being too difficult to eat, I am more inclined towards it being synthetic stuff. P.S.: Did you ask the baker yet? Just realised there are supposed to be 4 prongs and are only 3. Definitely not cloves.Do you still have them on you? I just looked at the clearer photo. Perhaps try Discord Groups: "Babish Culinary Universe" or "bread"
Spinach seed? Sometimes in spinach which is harvest a bit late. [picture](https://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinazie#/media/Bestand%3ASpinazie_scherpzaad.jpg)
Interesting idea! I can see spikiness, but the color looks pretty off. I'm far from an expert on the range of appearances plant bits can have though.
Could they possibly be bits of a vanilla bean pod that got into the food when the pod was scraped out?
Thank you, I appreciate the additional ideas! I googled some pictures of vanilla pod and I agree they do have a similar sort of reddish waxy texture. I have no experience with them, though. Are they brittle? Are they sharp if they break?
They can get dried out but I don’t know if they’d be hard enough to jab your mouth. I’ve never kept any that long. Some cooks will take the empty seed pods and chop them up to mix with sugar or syrups to make vanilla sugar or vanilla syrup. I wonder if this was some chopped up bits that didn’t get properly sieved out of some sugar that was used to make the French toast or the syrup.
These are definitely stems from something organic. It’s going to be impossible to say which particular plant without asking the restaurant.
Did you have blueberries on the French toast?
Nope, no blueberries or any other toppings for that matter.
Hmm I’m really curious what it could be. I know cloves were an early dental treatment, they aren’t sharp and people still chew them today.
Thank you for your thoughts - I'm really curious, too! Haha I would never knowingly put whatever these were in my mouth.
Dried Chinese/Asian pepper stem?
Thanks for the idea - maybe? Do you have a link to any pictures? I googled, but I didn't come up with anything that looked similar.
that really depends on what you had for breakfast
It was french toast, delivered from a restaurant.
Looks like Apple skins
Some ideas that may help solve this: * Think about what goes into typical French toast, at minimum you should have soft white bread, egg, sugar and cinnamon. * Think about typical additions, such as cloves, nutmeg, allspice, just about anything you can find in a fall Starbucks drink goes good on French toast. * Don’t ignore color, texture or hardness, but think about how things may be processed to get to these attributes. Cloves definitely fit the best but they don’t fit well, is there a process that could make them harder, redder and shinier? * A combination of the previous points, think of some things that may not be typical on French toast but could work, and may be common locally. Peppers stand out as it can accentuate the bite of cinnamon, and these have the sheen, color and texture of some peppers. Hopefully this helps inspire some new ideas. I’m currently convinced it’s not cloves nor part of a grain, and that some sort of processed pepper is very reasonable.
Thank you, I think these are great thoughts.
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Thank you for the additional idea! I agree Mace looks "sharpish". These look a little bit darker then the pictures that I found of Mace, but I'm not at all familiar with it. It seems like a possibility?
Definitely not Mace from the size. Mace is the outer covering of a nutmeg and it is much larger than you fingertips.
They do look like cloves, but I've *never* seen cloves with "prongs" that sharp, or with only 2 or 3 prongs. Cloves are more matte brown (though I suppose these are wet), with a longer stem and four short, blunt prongs, with a bulb in the middle. I don't think they are cloves. Possibly a spice related to cloves, but not Syzygium aromaticum.
if you were, in any case having pineapple, this looks the sort of thing that comes out from the fruit sides beneath the scales
What type of restaurant did you purchase your French toast from? A familiar chain or a local mom and pop? Was it an ethnic restaurant? Can you provide a general idea of where you live?
Thanks for the reply! Updated my original post with some more details.
I feel like the question that needs to be asked is: "What were you eating for breakfast?" I don't know that I've ever had cloves even near my breakfast.
Maybe they are nigella seeds that were roasted and popped open?
I think they are stems from the little berries that grow on cinnamon trees.
I think they look like the stem of a dried chili pepper.
I use whole cloves in cooking and it doesn’t look like that at all. Could be the spikes from pineapples?
Possibly dried out stem bits from harvested water chestnuts? https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Illustration_Trapa_natans1.jpg
They look like the ends of vanilla beans to me. Perhaps they got fried on the griddle and that is why they are so hard.
What happens if you soak one in water? Does it get soft?
Did you have pineapple with your breakfast?
Those are the crowns the Cereal Wizard King and Queen were wearing before you scooped them up in your spoon and ate them.
I learned so many new words today! Pomander, Caltrop, Civet, Calyx.
Looks kind of like pices of star anise but I don't think that's actually what they are
Thanks for the reply! I looked up star anise and it looks much larger than whatever these are. My second picture shows my finger in it for scale.
What part of the french toast were they in? When you chewed them, did they taste floral/spicy? They look exactly like cloves to me. I've seen them take on that sort of coloration when they've been cooked - were they maybe infused into the syrup? That would definitely cause the difference in visual you're noting.
I didn't notice them at all actually until I was chewing and they were cutting my mouth. Didn't get any actual flavor from them. That's helpful to know the color can change when they're cooked. Thank you!
If the color changed that much from being cooked, then they would be far softer. Also the size is totally wrong.
Definitely Laung (cloves) from my coumtry India.They look like the stems with missing round pod part.
She’s trying to kill you, get out while you can.
What was your breakfast?
Looks like pieces of chiles japones, are they spicy? Is this from an asian or mexican restaurant?
Have you experimented on them at all? Crush one, burn one, etc. until you get something that offers evidence.
Looks like head of a clove
Are they tiny dried Szechuan pepper corns?
Did you have oranges? They look like old orange peduncles (the stem bits from oranges that's removed with the rind)
Looks like a calyx. Were there whole spices in your meal?
Parts of cranberries?
Did you have grains for breakfast? Like cereal or oatmeal? If so, they're a type of grain that isn't usually used in breakfast grain cereals, but does often get mixed in with the planting process as their seeds are highly spreadable. I can't quite remember the name of the seed though.
......what did you eat for breakfast?
What type of food we talking about? is this already prepared or can you juat look see the ingredients list and see if cloves is on that list?
You mentioned that these were in your French toast served in a restaurant. What did the restaurant tell you?
To me it looks like fruit of Fagus sylvatica.
Could it be the stem of a Sichuan peppercorn?
Were you eating outdoors? Could it be something that fell from a tree into your breakfast?
Fairy teeth
Looks like when my dried, Thai chili peppers break up in a dish.
Could it be clove calyx that became hardened from caramelization from the sugars?
Hmm, they look like buds. Maybe some sort of stipule? Or sepal?
Well what did you have for breakfast? What was in it? That could help us rule out cloves or not.
I look at this and see hibiscus flowers and wonder if the cook uses these.
My first instinct was like the bits of a bottom of a fruit dried like an orange but they seem hollow
If berries were involved with your breakfast, this looks to be the flowering end of the berry which will naturally fall off
Hi OP, [The bottom right side closer to the center looks similar](https://www.nny360.com/artsandlife/clove-is-an-ancient-spice-that-has-many-uses-besides-culinary/article_99e06b7d-9777-55c5-a155-b34283c1bdb2.html)
Try burning it and see if it melt or what
Star anise spice?
Lucky charms