the dried, unripe berry of Pimenta dioica, a tree of tropical America which is mainly cultivated in Jamaica and is the only spice whose production is confined to the New World. Efforts to introduce it to other parts of the world have been largely unsuccessful.
The English name allspice was given to the spice because its flavour resembles a mixture of other spices, especially cloves and black pepper; some people also detect hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. But allspice is not the only name current in English; pimento is much used in commerce, as a result of confusion long ago.
The allspice tree belongs to the myrtle family, and is not related to the pepper or to capsicum plants. However, when Spanish explorers encountered the plant in Jamaica at the beginning of the 16th century, they thought that the berries resembled those of the pepper and gave them names such as ‘Jamaica pepper’ and ‘pimento’ (from pimienta, the Spanish word for peppercorn).
The green berries, when dried, become reddish-brown. Their aroma and flavour come mainly from their volatile oil of which the major constituent is eugenol, the principal flavouring element in cloves. The source of their pungency has not been finally identified, but a tannin, quercitannic acid, is present, producing some astringency (again, as in cloves).
Allspice may be used whole, in pickles and marinades; or ground, in cakes and puddings and with cooked fruits. Its essential oil, pimento berry oil, can be used instead of the ground spice for flavouring purposes, but lacks some of the characteristics of the spice. Distillation of this oil takes place mainly in Europe and N. America. A less expensive oil is made from the leaves, in Jamaica, and exported as pimento leaf oil.
The popularity of allspice varies considerably by region. It is used extensively in N. America; and much more in N. than S. Europe. During the latter part of the 20th century, a general order of importance among importing countries was this: USA; Germany; the former Soviet Union (imports fluctuated considerably according to price); Sweden; Finland; UK; Canada.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
