Everything about Allspice totally explained
Allspice, also called
Jamaica pepper,"Kurundu"
Myrtle pepper,
pimento
, or
newspice, is a
spice which is the dried unripe
fruit of the
Pimenta dioica plant. The name "allspice" was coined by the English, who thought it combined the flavour of several aromatic spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Preparation/Form
Allspice is not, as is mistakenly believed by some people who have only come across it in ground form, a mixture of spices. Rather, it's the
dried fruit of the
Pimenta dioica plant. The fruit is picked when it's green and unripe and traditionally dried in the sun. When dry the fruits are brown and resemble large brown peppercorns.
Allspice is most commonly sold as whole dried fruits or as a powder. The whole fruits have a longer shelf-life than the powdered product and produce a more aromatic product when freshly ground before use. Fresh leaves are also used where available: they're similar in texture to
bay leaves and are thus
infused during cooking and then removed before serving. Unlike bay leaves, they lose much flavour when dried and stored. The leaves and wood are often used for smoking meats where allspice is a local crop. Allspice can also be found in essential oil form.
Uses
Allspice is one of the most important ingredients of
Caribbean cuisine. It is used in Caribbean
jerk seasoning (the wood is used to smoke jerk in Jamaica, although the spice is a good substitute), in
mole sauces, and in
pickling; it's also an ingredient in commercial
sausage preparations and
curry powders. Allspice is also indispensable in Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly in the
Levant where it's used to flavor a variety of stews and meat dishes. In
Palestinian cuisine, for example, many main dishes call for allspice as the sole spice added for flavoring. In America, it's used mostly in
desserts, but it's also responsible for giving
Cincinnati-style chili its distinctive aroma and flavor as well. Allspice is commonly used in Great Britain and appears in many dishes, including in
cakes. Even in many countries where allspice isn't very popular in the household, such as Germany, it's used in large amounts by commercial sausage makers. Allspice is also a main flavor used in
barbecue sauces.
Allspice has also been used as a
deodorant; 18th century Russian soldiers would put allspice in their boots. Volatile oils found in the plant contain
eugenol, a weak
antimicrobial agent (Yaniv, Sohara et al. 2005). Folklore also suggests that allspice provides relief for digestive problems.
Cultivation
Allspice is a small scrubby tree, quite similar to the bay laurel in size and form. It can be grown outdoors in the tropics and subtropics with normal garden soil and watering. Smaller plants can be killed by frost, although larger plants are more tolerant. It adapts well to container culture and can be kept as a
houseplant or in a
greenhouse. The plant is
dioecious, hence male and female plants must be kept in proximity in order to allow fruits to develop.
To protect the pimento trade the plant was guarded against export from Jamaica. It is reported that many attempts were made at growing the pimento from seeds, all failed. At one time it was thought that the plant would grow nowhere else except in Jamaica where the plant was readily spread by birds. Experiments were then performed using the constituents of bird droppings, however these were also totally unsuccessful. Eventually it was realized that an elevated temperature, such as that found inside a bird's body, was essential for germinating the seeds.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Allspice'.
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