Spices 
Seasonings 
Organics 
Salt-Free 
Chiles 
Spice Sets 
Gourmet Salts 
Recipes    |
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Allspice is an individual spice and not as many think a seasoning blend with multiple ingredients, Allspice Berries are native to the tropical West Indies and Central America Allspice is the only spice that is exclusively grown in the Western Hemisphere. During Christopher Columbus’ second voyage to the New World he first came across Allspice.
Spanish explorers in the early 16th century encountered Allspice Berries on the island of Jamaica. Because the fruit berries resembled the more familiar peppercorn the Spaniards called it “pimento” or Jamaican Pepper. Most Allspice is harvested in Jamaica, but Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala are also important producers. Our Organic Allspice Berries are grown in Guatemala and are considered the highest quality Organic Allspice Berries. The evergreen tree that produces the allspice berries grows up to 60 feet tall and is actually classified as an evergreen shrub. The berries, or fruit, are picked while they are still unripe and green in color (similar to the harvesting of green peppercorns). They are then laid out on tarps and dried in the sun. Once dry the fruits turn brown in color and resemble large brown peppercorns. Perfectly named, Allspice has a pleasantly warm and fragrant aroma while the flavor brings to mind a delightful mix of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg or mace and with just a hint of pepper, too. Allspice contains a small amount of the essential oil “Eugenol” which is also what gives cloves their distinctly, strong flavor. The oil content is typically 4-5%. Because of their high oil content we prefer to keep Allspice Berries in our kitchen instead of ground allspice as the berries have a longer shelf life. Allspice Berries crush easily and most recipes typically only call for a little Allspice and when freshly ground provides a much more aromatic flavor. We also offer Organic Ground Allspice and we grind these fresh to order the day of shipment in order to maximize their flavor. If you're looking for non organic Allspice Berries we have those as well. Allspice is an essential ingredient in most jerk spice blends such as our Jamaican Jerk Seasoning and our Caribbean Spice. It is one of the most important ingredients in Caribbean cuisine. Allspice goes well with eggplant, most fruits, root vegetables (in particular sweet potatoes) and squashes (especially pumpkins). Allspice Berries are used in fish stock, fruit and vegetable pickling, wild game and turkey brines. When freshly ground Allspice makes starring appearances in barbecues sauces, cookies, curry powders, gravies, ice cream, moles, puddings, pumpkin pie, soups and spice cakes. In Germany allspice is used in making homemade sausage, in Middle Eastern cuisine it is popular in many meat and stew dishes. In several Palestinian recipes it is the only spice called for. Here in our country it is most often found in desserts. Allspice works well in combination with chili powder, cloves, coriander, garlic, ginger, dry mustard powder and pepper. Some of our favorite recipes with allspice are Green Peppercorn Steak, Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Cincinnati Skyline Chili and Baked Oatmeal. You can use Allspice as a one to one substitute for cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg and if you need a substitution for allspice, combine two parts (each) of cinnamon and cloves to one part nutmeg. |
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