Allspice berries have a sweet flavour reminiscent of cloves and cinnamon with a hint of nutmeg. Its complex sweetness lends allspice a great deal of versatility. Whole, it is used in poached fish stock, vegetable and fruit pickles, and for wild game. Ground, it is found in spice cakes, puddings, cookies, gravies, bbq sauce and is a key ingredient in Caribbean jerk dishes. It is often used in German sausages and is so common in English baking that it's sometimes known as English Spice.

Allspice, also called Jamaica pepper, pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta, etc, is the dried unripe fruit of Pimenta dioica, a midcanopy tree native to the Greater Antilles, southern Mexico, and Central America, now cultivated in many warm parts of the world. The name 'allspice' was coined as early as 1621 by the English, who thought it combined the flavour of cinnamon, nutmeg, andcloves.

Allspice is the dried fruit of the P. dioica plant. The fruits are picked when green and unripe and are traditionally dried in the sun. When dry, they are brown and resemble large brown smooth peppercorns. The whole fruits have a longer shelf life than the powdered product and produce a more aromatic product when freshly ground before use.

Interesting nerd note:

Allspice contains a small amount of eugenol, the essential oil that gives cloves their strong, distinct flavor. Since eugenol is both warming and anti-microbial, Russian soldiers in the Napoleonic War of 1812 put allspice in their boots to help keep their feet warm and alleviate odour...

The Allotment: Locavore & Gourmet for the Discerning Gastronome.

20g