Allspice is a round berry about 1 cm in diameter it is brown to reddish brown and is slightly rough to the touch due to the presence of many raised oil glands.
All spice berries grow in a shiny leaved evergreen tree of the myrtle indigenous to the Western Hemisphere.
The spice itself is the dried, mature, unripe fruit of the tree. Early Spanish explorers discovered allspice an called it pimiento (pepper in Spanish) because of its resemblance to black peppercorns.This name evolved into pimento . About 80% of the allspice imported into the United States is grown in the Western Hemisphere mainly in the Caribbean and Central America.
The name allspice is derived from its sensory description: warn, sweet and reminiscent of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.
The Mayan Indians of Central America used allspice to embalm and preserve bodies. Allspice was much more popular in the early 20th century that it is today.
During this time, Europeans used allspice for meat preservation and baking in large amounts.
World War II caused a shortage of the spice in Europe and the popularity never regained what it once had been.
Allspice (Pimenta dioica L.)
