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Allspice, also called Jamaica pepper, Kurundu, Myrtle pepper, pimento, or newspice, is a spice
Spice

A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, leaf, or vegetable used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for the purpose of flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth....
 which is the dried unripe fruit
Fruit

The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context, and the term is not synonymous in food preparation and biology. In botany, which is the scientific study of plants, fruits are the ripened Ovary of flowering plants....
 of the Pimenta dioica plant, a tree native to the Greater Antilles
Greater Antilles

File:LocationGreaterAntilles.pngThe Greater Antilles is one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Comprising Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico--the four largest islands of the Antilles--the Greater Antilles constitutes almost 90% of the land mass of the entire West Indies....
, southern Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
 and Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
. The name "allspice" was coined by the English, who thought it combined the flavour of several aromatic spices, such as cinnamon
Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a small evergreen tree 10?15 metres tall, belonging to the family Lauraceae, and is native to Sri Lanka.The leaf are ovate-oblong in shape, 7?18 cm long....
, nutmeg
Nutmeg

The nutmegs Myristica are a genus of evergreen trees indigenous to tropical southeast Asia and Australasia. They are important for two spices derived from the fruit, nutmeg and mace....
, and clove
Clove

Cloves are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae. Cloves are native to Indonesia and used as a spice in cuisine all over the world....
s.

nd allspice is not, as some people believe, a mixture of spices.






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Allspice, also called Jamaica pepper, Kurundu, Myrtle pepper, pimento, or newspice, is a spice
Spice

A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, leaf, or vegetable used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for the purpose of flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth....
 which is the dried unripe fruit
Fruit

The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context, and the term is not synonymous in food preparation and biology. In botany, which is the scientific study of plants, fruits are the ripened Ovary of flowering plants....
 of the Pimenta dioica plant, a tree native to the Greater Antilles
Greater Antilles

File:LocationGreaterAntilles.pngThe Greater Antilles is one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Comprising Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico--the four largest islands of the Antilles--the Greater Antilles constitutes almost 90% of the land mass of the entire West Indies....
, southern Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
 and Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
. The name "allspice" was coined by the English, who thought it combined the flavour of several aromatic spices, such as cinnamon
Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a small evergreen tree 10?15 metres tall, belonging to the family Lauraceae, and is native to Sri Lanka.The leaf are ovate-oblong in shape, 7?18 cm long....
, nutmeg
Nutmeg

The nutmegs Myristica are a genus of evergreen trees indigenous to tropical southeast Asia and Australasia. They are important for two spices derived from the fruit, nutmeg and mace....
, and clove
Clove

Cloves are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae. Cloves are native to Indonesia and used as a spice in cuisine all over the world....
s.

Preparation/Form

Ground allspice is not, as some people believe, a mixture of spices. Rather, it is the dried fruit
Dried fruit

Dried fruitis fruit that has been drying , either naturally or through use of a machine, such as a food dehydrator. Raisins, prunes, and Date palm are examples of popular dried fruits....
 of the Pimenta dioica plant. The fruit is picked when it is green and unripe and traditionally dried
Drying (food)

Drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which prevents the growth of microorganisms and decay. Drying food using the sun and wind to prevent spoilage has been known since ancient times....
 in the sun. When dry, the fruits are brown and resemble large brown peppercorns
Black pepper

Black pepper is a flowering plant vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning....
. The whole fruits have a longer shelf life than the powdered product and produce a more aromatic product when freshly ground before use.

The leaves of the allspice plant are also used in cooking. For cooking, fresh leaves are used where available: they are similar in texture to bay leaves
Bay Laurel

The Bay Laurel , also known as True Laurel, Sweet Bay, Grecian Laurel, Laurel, or Bay Tree, is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub reaching 10?18 m tall, native to the Mediterranean region....
 and are thus infused
Infusion

An infusion is the outcome of Wikt:steep plants with a desired flavour in water or edible oil.An infusion is very similar to a decoction but is used with herbs that are more volatile or dissolve readily in water, or release their active ingredients easily in oil....
 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
Essential oil

An essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. They are also known as volatile or ethereal oils, or simply as the "oil of" the plant material from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove....
 form.

Uses

Allspiceseeds
Allspice is one of the most important ingredients of Caribbean
Caribbean

The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America....
 cuisine. It is used in Caribbean jerk seasoning
Jamaican jerk spice

Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica in which meats are dry-rubbed with a very hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice. Jerk seasoning is traditionally applied to pork and goat....
 (the wood is used to smoke jerk in Jamaica, although the spice is a good substitute), in mole sauces
Mole (sauce)

Mole is the generic name for several sauces used in Mexico cuisine, as well as for dishes based on these sauces. In English, it often refers to a specific sauce which is known in Spanish by the more specific name mole poblano....
, and in pickling
Pickling

Pickling, also known as brining or corning, is the process of preserving food by Anaerobic organism fermentation in brine , to produce lactic acid bacteria, or marination and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar ....
; it is also an ingredient in commercial sausage
Sausage

A sausage is a prepared food, usually made from ground meat, animal fat, salt, and spices , typically packed in a casing . Sausage making is a traditional food preservation technique....
 preparations and curry powder
Curry powder

Curry powder is a mixture of spices of widely varying composition, that is a classic of Indian cuisine. In the Western world Curry Powder mixtures tend to have fairly standardized taste, whereas in its original India there are many different curry flavors available to be experienced for the true gourmet....
s. Allspice is also indispensable in Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly in the Levant
Levant

The Levant describes, traditionally, the Eastern Mediterranean at large, but can be used as a geographical term that denotes a large area in Western Asia formed by the lands bordering the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean, roughly bounded on the north by the Taurus Mountains, on the south by the Arabian Desert, and on the west by the M...
 where it is used to flavor a variety of stews and meat dishes. In Palestinian cuisine
Palestinian cuisine

Palestinian cuisine consists of foods from or commonly eaten by the Arabs of historical Palestine ? which includes those living in the Palestinian territories, Arab citizens of Israel, Palestinian refugee camps in nearby countries as well as by Palestinian diaspora....
, for example, many main dishes call for allspice as the sole spice added for flavoring. In America, it is used mostly in dessert
Dessert

Dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal, usually consisting of sweet food but sometimes of a strongly-flavored one, such as some cheeses....
s, but it is also responsible for giving Cincinnati-style chili
Cincinnati chili

Cincinnati chili is a regional style of Chili con carne characteristically served over spaghetti or as a Coney Island hot dog sauce. While served in many regular restaurants, it is most often associated with several fast-food chains in the Cincinnati, Ohio area, including Skyline Chili, Gold Star Chili, Empress, and Dixie Chili and Deli ....
 its distinctive aroma and flavor. Allspice is commonly used in Great Britain and appears in many dishes, including in cake
Cake

Cake is a form of food that is usually sweet and often Baking. Cakes normally combine some kind of flour, a sweetener , a binding agent , fats , a liquid , flavoring and some form of leavening agent , though many cakes lack these ingredients and instead rely on air bubbles in the dough to expand and cause the cake to rise....
s. Even in many countries where allspice is not very popular in the household, such as Germany, it is used in large amounts by commercial sausage makers. Allspice is also a main flavor used in barbecue
Barbecue

Barbecue or barbeque is a method and apparatus for cooking food, often meat, with the heat and hot gases of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of charcoal and may include application of a marinade, spice rub, or Basting barbecue sauce to the meat....
 sauces. In the West Indies, an allspice liqueur
Liqueur

A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, Nut , spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry....
 called "pimento dram" is produced.

Allspice has also been used as a deodorant
Deodorant

Deodorants are substances applied to the body mainly to reduce body odor which is caused by the bacterial breakdown of perspiration. A subgroup of deodorants are "antiperspirants", which prevent odor and reduce sweat produced by parts of the body....
. Volatile oils found in the plant contain eugenol
Eugenol

Eugenol , is an allyl chain-substituted guaiacol. Eugenol is a member of the phenylpropanoids class of chemical compounds. It is a clear to pale yellow oily liquid extracted from certain essential oils especially from clove oil, nutmeg, cinnamon, and bay leaf....
, a weak antimicrobial
Antimicrobial

An antimicrobial is a substance that kills or inhibits the growth of microbes such as bacteria, fungi, protozoals or viruses. Antimicrobial drugs either kill microbes or prevent the growth of microbes ....
 agent (Yaniv, Sohara et al. 2005). Allspice is also reported to provide relief for indigestion and gas.

Cultivation

Allspice is a small scrubby tree, quite similar to the Bay Laurel
Bay Laurel

The Bay Laurel , also known as True Laurel, Sweet Bay, Grecian Laurel, Laurel, or Bay Tree, is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub reaching 10?18 m tall, native to the Mediterranean region....
 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
Houseplant

A houseplant is a plant that is grown indoors in places such as House and offices. Houseplants are commonly grown for decorative purposes and health reasons such as indoor air purification....
 or in a greenhouse
Greenhouse

A greenhouse is a building where plants are cultivated.A greenhouse is a structure with a glass or plastic roof and frequently glass or plastic walls; it heats up because incoming solar radiation from the sun warms plants, soil, and other things inside the building....
. The plant is dioecious
Dioecious

Dioecious - from Greek language for "two households" - refers to species of seed-bearing plants having separate male and female plants. That is, no individual plant of the species produces both microspores and megaspores; individual plants are either male or female ....
, meaning plants are either male or female and 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
Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. It is about south of Cuba, and west of the island of Hispaniola, on which Haiti and the Dominican Republic are situated....
. 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
Germination

Germination is the process whereby growth emerges from a period of dormancy. The most common example of germination is the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an flowering plant or gymnosperm....
 the seeds.

International naming

Arabic: ???? ?????? (filfil ifranji, 'Frankish pepper') or ???? ??? (filfil ?ulw, 'sweet pepper')
Bulgarian: ????? (bakhar)
Chinese: ??? (duoxiangguo), ??? (zhongxiangzi), or ????? (yamaijai hujiao)
Czech: nové korení ('new spice')
Danish: allehånde
Dutch: piment
Estonian: vürts ('vürtspipar')
Finnish: maustepippuri ('spice pepper')
French: poivre de la Jamaïque
German: Piment, Allgewürz ('all-spice'), or Nelkenpfeffer ('clove pepper')
Hungarian: szegfubors ('clove pepper')
Macedonian: ??????? (pimento)
Mexican Spanish: pimienta gorda ('fat pepper')
Norwegian: allehånde
Polish: ziele angielskie ('English herb')
Portuguese: pimenta-da-Jamaica (Jamaican pepper)
Romanian: ienibahar
Russian: ????? ???????? (perets dushistyy, 'fragrant pepper')
Slovak: nové korenie ('new spice')
Swedish: kryddpeppar
Turkish: yeni bahar ('new spice')
Ukrainian: ?????? ???????? (perets' dukhmyaniy)
Venezuelan Spanish: pimienta guayabita Ecuador Spanish: pimienta dulce

Works cited

  • Herbs, Spices and Flavourings, Tom Stobart, Penguin books
    Penguin Books

    Penguin Books is a United Kingdom publisher founded in 1935 by Allen Lane. Lane's idea was to provide quality writing cheaply, for the same price as a pack of cigarettes....
    , 1977
  • Yaniv, Zohara et al. Hand Book of Medicinal Plants. 10 Alice Street, Bringhamton, NY 13904-1580: Food Products Press(r), 2005.


External links

  • From The Encyclopedia of Spices