Allspice

Allspice
blooming twig, flower & fruit detail
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Pimenta
Species:	P. dioica
Binomial name
Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr.
Synonyms
Caryophyllus pimenta (L.) Mill. Eugenia micrantha Bertol. Eugenia pimenta (L.) DC. Evanesca crassifolia Raf. nom. illeg. Evanesca micrantha Bertol. Myrtus aromatica Poir. nom. illeg. Myrtus aromatica Salisb. nom. illeg. Myrtus dioica L. Myrtus pimenta L. Myrtus piperita Sessé & Moc. Pimenta aromatica Kostel. nom. illeg. Pimenta communis Benth. & Hook.f. Pimenta officinalis Lindl. Pimenta pimenta (L.) H.Karst. nom. inval. Pimenta vulgaris Bello Pimenta vulgaris Lindl. Pimentus aromatica Raf. nom. illeg. Pimentus geminata Raf. Pimentus vera Raf. nom. illeg.

Allspice, also called Jamaica pepper, pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta,Turkish yenibahar, or newspice, is the dried unripe fruit (berries, used as a spice) 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, and cloves.

Several unrelated fragrant shrubs are called "Carolina allspice" (Calycanthus floridus), "Japanese allspice" (Chimonanthus praecox), or "wild allspice" (Lindera benzoin). "Allspice" is also sometimes used to refer to the herb costmary (Tanacetum balsamita).

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.

Fresh leaves are used where available. They are similar in texture to bay leaves, thus are infused during cooking and then removed before serving. Unlike bay leaves, they lose much flavor when dried and stored, so do not figure in commerce. 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.

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 moles, and in pickling; it is also an ingredient in commercial sausage preparations and curry powders. Allspice is also indispensable in Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly in the Levant, where it is used to flavour a variety of stews and meat dishes. In Arab cuisine, for example, many main dishes call for allspice as the sole spice added for flavouring.

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Wikipedia