Although its name erroneously suggests, allspice is not a mixture or blend of several different spices. It is in fact the dried berries of the "Pimenta dioica" tree, which are available to us in the whole berry form or as a ground powder. The berries are a reddish brown colour after drying and are slightly larger than peppercorns.

Allspice is extremely popular in Caribbean cooking due to the fact that it is native to this part of the world. It is probably the most important spice employed in Caribbean cuisine and is predominantly used to flavour hot and fiery marinades and rubs for meat and poultry such as in the well-known "jerk" seasoning mixture.

In other parts of the world allspice is often neglected or left at the back of the cupboard, although it is favoured in the UK where it is used in pickling mixtures, preserves and in a variety of cake, biscuit and sweet pudding recipes. As it has a slight peppery overtone to its flavour, it is often added to stews, curries or soups.

The history of allspice

Allspice was originally native to the tropical forests of South and Central America and the West Indies, particularly Jamaica.

During one of his discovery voyages to the Caribbean, Christopher Columbus stumbled upon allspice quite by accident, as he was actually searching for black pepper. Coming across the dark brown allspice berries, Columbus assumed that they were peppercorns and he took them back with him to Europe, after naming them "pimienta", which is the Spanish word for the pepper spice.

Today, allspice is often referred to as "pimienta de Jamaica" in Spanish or Jamaica pepper in English, as well as other names such as myrtle pepper and pimento.

Jamaica is the world's largest producer of allspice today and the climate there gives rise to the best quality allspice in the world. Other producers are Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras, although the quality is not as good as the Jamaica pepper.

Allspice taste and aroma

Allspice was given the name that we know it as today some time during the late seventeenth century due to the fact that it has a taste and aroma similar to several spices all rolled into one - cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and black pepper.

As allspice is more commonly sold as a ground powder, many people assume that it is a mixture of the above spices, when actually it is not.

Therapeutic uses of allspice

Allspice has been used in traditional folklore medicine for several hundreds of years primarily as a digestive. When added to foods that are difficult to digest, such as proteins and fats or foods that may cause bloating and flatulence, such as cauliflower, cabbage and beans, allspice can aid digestion and relieve any discomfort that is associated with indigestion.

Medical research has found that allspice has similar properties to cloves. It has a high eugenol content meaning that it is highly bacterial and it also has mild anaesthetic properties.

Perhaps more importantly, allspice has proved to be very beneficial in the treatment of arthritic and rheumatic pains and other muscular and joint problems. This is because it acts as a rubefacient, which is a substance that when applied to an affected area draws out the inflammation and increases the blood supply to it, giving a warming and calming effect.

Allspice is also known to settle the nervous system, which can be helpful for stress and anxiety amongst other symptoms.

Buying and storing allspice

It is preferable to buy allspice in the whole berry form, as once the berries are harvested they do tend to lose their flavour and aroma quite quickly.

You can grind the berries as you need them by placing them into a pepper mill or coffee grinder or by using a pestle and mortar.

The whole berries will keep indefinitely if stored in an airtight glass jar out of the sunlight. The ground powder, on the other hand, will only keep for a few months.

Culinary uses of allspice

Allspice is famous for being the main ingredient of the Caribbean "jerk" seasoning, a marinade mixture, which is used to flavour meats and poultry, especially pork and chicken. The meat is marinated in the spicy seasoning and then cooked over an open fire, where allspice branches are used for the firewood.

Other ways in which allspice is used in different types of cuisines are:

In Caribbean soups, stews and curries.
In pickling mixtures.
In chutneys, jams, pickles, preserves and marinades.
In mulled wine and other type of hot punch or beverage.
In cakes and biscuits.
In milk puddings and desserts.
In fruit pies, crumbles, compotes and sauces.
In bean soups or pulse dishes.
In sausage mixture and meat pies or pasties.
In meat rubs and marinades.
In pâtés and terrines.
In ice creams and alcoholic liqueurs.
In flavouring chocolate or hot chocolate.

Back to Introduction to Spices.