Allspice Pimenta dioica

LATIN NAME: Pimenta dioica

COMMON NAME: Allspice

Allspice is the small, neat, evergreen tree of the Caribbean, one of the great spice trees of the warm world. The bushy, compact tree carries the large, glossy, leathery leaves and the loose sprays of the small, white flowers, to be followed by the clusters of the green berries that ripen to the dark reddish-brown. The dried, unripe berries carry the fine, warm scent that seems to blend the cinnamon, the nutmeg and the cloves in one, which is how the spice got its name. It is a tree of the warm, sheltered, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

In the plant science the allspice is a steady subject, studied for the dried, unripe berries and the fine, warm scent that blends the cinnamon, the nutmeg and the cloves. The chemistry of the berries, which carry the fragrant essential oil, has been examined closely, and the tree keeps showing up in the work on the spice plants, the essential-oil plants and the trees of the Caribbean. The large, glossy, leathery leaves and the neat, compact habit have also made it a fine garden tree, and the allspice is a regular subject of the studies of the myrtle family and the spice trees of the warm world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The allspice pulls its weight in the garden and the kitchen. The dried, unripe berries are one of the great spices of the warm world, used in the jerk seasoning of the Caribbean, the marinades, the pickles, the sausages, the soups and the sweet baking, and the essential oil carries its own record of use in the perfumery and the flavouring. The neat, glossy tree is also a fine, fragrant presence in the warm garden and the large container. It has been written up in the horticultural and the culinary papers for the warm, blended scent and the old uses of the spice, and it is a fine, long-lived tree of the warm, sheltered, well-drained garden.

Allspice is the tree of the great spice blends, and the dried, unripe berries carry the warm scent that seems to blend the cinnamon, the nutmeg and the cloves in one. The spice is a classic of the jerk seasoning of the Caribbean, the marinades, the pickles, the sausages and the sweet baking, and the essential oil has its own old record of use in the perfumery.

To grow the allspice from seed, sow the fresh seeds into trays of moist, free-draining soil, covering them thinly, keep them in a warm, sheltered spot and water gently. The seedlings are up within a few weeks and grow on steadily. With the warmth, the shelter and the rich, well-drained ground, the neat, glossy, sweet-scented tree will rise through the years.

Allspice is used to make Jerked meats like; chicken and pork. It is a popular in European cooking, and is used in many marinades, pickling, soups, game dishes and English spiced beef. Allspice is used in many cakes, fruit pies, puddings ice cream and pumpkin pie. Indian curries and pilaus and in the Middle East it is widely used in rice dishes.