Ingredients

Allspice

Other Names: Allehånde (Danish); aromatopeperi or piperi Iamaïkis (Greek); bahar (Arabic); englisches gewürz or piment (German); guayabita (Latin American Spanish); Jamaica pepper; myrtle pepper; newspice; pepe di Giamaica or pimento (Italian); pilpel angli (Hebrew); piment Jamaïque, poivre de la Jamaïque, or toute-épice (French); pimenta-da-jamaica or pimenta síria (Portuguese); pimienta de Jamaica, pimienta dulce, or pimienta gorda (Spanish).

General Description: Allspice (Pimenta dioica) is a tree in the Myrtaceae (myrtle) family, originating and still grown mainly in Jamaica, with highly aromatic berries. Allspice berries, which are cured and dried before use, are dark reddish brown and somewhat larger than a peppercorn, with little aroma until crushed. Their aroma resembles a combination of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg with some of the heat of black pepper. The Aztecs spiced hot chocolate with allspice and vanilla, while the Mayans used allspice to embalm the dead.

The British developed a taste for allspice in the three hundred years, beginning in 1655, that Jamaica was a British colony. In Britain, allspice goes into stews and sauces, and it flavors pickled vegetables and pickled and cured meats; it’s used in much the same way in the United States. In Europe, allspice goes into spice mixtures for sausage, and it’s much loved in Scandinavia for savory meat pastry fillings. Allspice is well-known in Turkey and Lebanon, where it appears in baharat. In Africa, the Ethiopian spice mixture berberé contains allspice.

Allspice is used extensively in Caribbean cuisine, especially in Jamaica. Fiery jerk seasoning pastes featuring allspice are used to marinate pork, goat, or chicken before barbecuing, preferably over an allspice-wood fire. Meat may also be stuffed or wrapped with allspice leaves, similar to the use of myrtle in the Mediterranean. Jamaican pimento dram is a liqueur made by steeping allspice berries in rum. Fresh allspice leaves, called West Indian bay leaf, are sometimes used for cooking or smoking meat.

Purchase and Avoid: Whole allspice berries should be even in color, dark reddish brown, and rounded, with a rough surface and no musty smell. Ground allspice should be a rich dark brown with a warm aroma. It should be somewhat oily in consistency, never dry and dusty.

Storage: Store whole or ground allspice in a cool, dark place with low humidity. Whole allspice will keep up to 3 years before its flavor fades; ground, up to 1 1/2 years.

Serving Suggestions: Season marinated herring, pickled vegetables, pâtés, and smoked meats with allspice. Add a few whole berries (not powdered, which will darken the color) to poaching liquid for fruit, removing before serving. Mix a few allspice berries with peppercorns in a pepper mill for aromatic pepper.

Food Affinities: Apple, chicken, chocolate, goat, peach, pear, pickled fish, plum, pork, pumpkin, rum, sausage, tomato.

from Quirk Books: www.quirkbooks.com