What Is Allspice and How Do You Use It?
Wondering how you can add an allspice kick to your favorite foods? This flexible seasoning, often considered a mix of different ingredients, is actually one single spice. It has a delicious and aromatic profile and is an essential component in Caribbean cuisine, as well as European and Middle Eastern cooking. It also has lots of health benefits.
Whether you’re seeking to learn more about this ingredient, or you’re looking for recipe inspiration, our guide has all you need to know about this wonderful spice.
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What is Allspice?
Also known as pimento, and Jamaican pepper, allspice is frequently mistaken for a blend of different spices. In fact, it’s one spice, the dried berry of the allspice tree, a tropical evergreen that is part of the myrtle family and grows across Jamaica and Central America.
What Is in Allspice?
Allspice was originally given its name by English merchants who prized it as a single spice that combined the flavors of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg. Records of the name appear from as early as 1621 but in Poland today, it’s still known as the "English herb" thanks to this association.
Allspice was imported into Europe in the 17th century and became a popular part of many sweet treats such as gingerbread, pumpkin pie and lebkuchen, before spreading to the U.S. and the rest of the world.
What Does Allspice Taste Like?
This unique spice has a distinctive aroma and flavor with several individually discernible notes. It has the same subtle warmth as cinnamon, and a gentle peppery kick like nutmeg and cloves, but combines these with the hint of sweetness that’s found in vanilla.
This combination of sweet heat and gentle spice makes allspice a very adaptable ingredient for lots of recipes, including meat and savory dishes, sweet treats and desserts.
Where Does Allspice Come From?
The tree that allspice comes from was originally native to Jamaica, Southern Mexico and Central America but it is now cultivated in other areas around the globe.
After being picked as green, unripe fruit, the berries undergo a fermentation process and are left to dry in the sun until brown. Leaves from the tree are also used in cooking and have a similar taste and texture to bay leaves.
Ground Allspice vs Whole Allspice
Allspice is available as a whole berry or ground into powder. Whole berries look similar to peppercorns, with a knobbly outer layer and a hard texture. Whole berries tend to be used to make pickling liquids or vinegars, while the ground powder is added to baked goods and seasoning rubs.
You can easily make your own ground spice by putting whole berries into a blender, or by crushing them in a pestle and mortar until you’ve got a fine powder. A coffee grinder also works very well.
The ground and whole berry varieties of the spice have a similar flavor and smell but the ground powder can be slightly more bitter.
What Is Allspice Used for in Cooking?
If you were making a list of spices that every cook needs then allspice would definitely be included. Not only is it delicious, it’s flexible enough to use in a range of dishes.
This spice is one of the most important spices in Jamaican cooking, where it’s known as pimento, and used as an ingredient in spice rubs. It’s also widely used in Middle Eastern cuisine, especially the Levant where it’s used to season meat dishes, stews and tomato sauce.
In Europe, allspice is a key ingredient in Scandinavian cuisine. It’s used in cake baking as well as soups, stews, sauces and to make Swedish meatballs. In the U.S., it’s primarily used in desserts, but you’ll also find it playing a part in chili con carne, particularly Cincinnati-style chili.
If you’re looking to master the use of spices to enhance your repertoire then cooking classes near you are a fun and interactive way to discover new cuisines, pick up kitchen skills and boost your confidence. If you’re short on time, or you fancy sharing an activity with friends, then online cooking classes can be accessed from your own kitchen. Led by talented chefs, these interactive sessions are a great way to unlock your kitchen’s potential.
As well as being a popular cooking ingredient, allspice has a number of health benefits thanks to one of its components, an oil called eugenol. This naturally occurs in the whole berries and is carefully preserved during the drying process.
Eugenol is the chemical compound that adds the spicy kick to allspice and can help to settle an upset stomach and stop feelings of nausea. Eugenol also has anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal qualities which can boost the immune system and help fight off illness and infection. There’s also some evidence that eugenol can act as pain relief and reduce the symptoms associated with menopause, such as hot flashes.
In addition, this spice contains manganese, calcium, iron and vitamin B5, all of which contribute to important functions in the body and maintaining good health.
Favorite Allspice Recipes
This adaptable spice can be used in sweet and savory cooking to enhance the flavors of baked goods, and meat and vegetable dishes. Here’s a quick look at some of our favorite allspice recipes:
Jerk Chicken
A Jamaican classic, jerk chicken is an easy dish to make for friends and a perfect choice for a summer barbecue. Have a look at this recipe for a jerk chicken marinade two-ways that can work as a dry rub or a wet marinade and takes just five minutes to make.
Upside-Down Cake
This spice is a very popular addition to any baked goods, from pies to a spiced pear upside-down cake. To prepare, melt butter and stir in sugar to create a light caramel. Chop up three pears and arrange in a circular pattern in the caramel. Whip up a basic sponge batter and add one teaspoon of ground ginger and half a teaspoon of ground allspice. Pour the batter over the pears and bake until the cake is firm to the touch. This perfect-for-coffee-mornings cake can also be made with other fruits including apples or bananas.
Pumpkin Butter
For a true taste of fall, you can’t beat this spiced pumpkin butter recipe. It can be spread on croissants and cookies, added to ravioli or used to make a buttery base for a pumpkin cheesecake that you’re bound to fall in love with.
For an extra-indulgent treat, try whipping up a batch of speculoos cookies butter. It has a smooth texture and is perfect spread on apple slices or toast, or warmed up and slathered over ice cream.
Mulled Apple Juice
It’s not just food that can benefit from the fragrant kick of allspice, it also works very well in warm drinks like mulled apple juice. Add eight whole berries to cloudy apple juice, along with orange and lemon peel, cinnamon, ground cloves and a glug of maple syrup and you’ll have a non-alcoholic drink that’s perfect for family celebrations during the festive season and winter dinner parties.
Where To Buy Allspice?
Allspice is a very common ingredient and can be found in the seasonings section of your local supermarket. You can buy it in a small jar or go for a larger plastic packet if you think you’ll get plenty of use out of it. The larger option tends to be more economical as long as you’ve got room to store it and you’ll use it before it loses its flavor.
Ground allspice will lose its potency quicker than the whole version but both varieties should last at least two years before you notice their flavor diminishing. To maintain your spice for as long as possible, it’s important to keep it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. A countertop spice rack is a good option, as long as it’s out of the sun, but a kitchen cabinet is even better.
If your recipe calls for allspice but you’re fresh out then no worries; there are lots of spices you can use to get a similar taste. Cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg all work well as substitutes or, even better, a mix of all three.
Conversely, you can also use the spice as a substitute for cinnamon at a ratio of ¼ teaspoon to one teaspoon of cinnamon.
Not just for fall, allspice is a fragrant ingredient and an excellent all-rounder that deserves pride of place in any spice rack. It has a complex flavor that’s great in baked dishes to bring out subtle warmth and sweetness but works equally well in savory stews and sauces, where its heat complements punchy tastes.
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