Allspice
AWL-spys
Pimenta dioica
Also called pimento, Jamaica pepper.
Warm, like clove and cinnamon.
Allspice is the dried unripe berry of Pimenta dioica, a tree native to the Caribbean and Central America, and its name is a clue to the taste: it reads like a blend of clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg in one berry. English buyers coined the name because it seemed to combine several warm spices at once. It is the backbone of Jamaican jerk seasoning and runs through Caribbean, Middle Eastern, and Latin American cooking, with pork, squash, beans, and rich braises. Whole berries grind cleanly, and the spice works in both savory rubs and sweet baking.
Similar but different
Easy to mix up, different enough that swapping changes the dish.
- Clovewarm, sweet, pungent, almost numbing.
In the journal
What it pairs with
Goes wrong with: light, delicate dishes.
Common in Mexican, Middle Eastern, Moroccan cooking.
Whole vs ground
Whole berries hold their oil well and grind cleanly when you need them. Ground allspice is convenient for baking and rubs but fades faster.
How to handle it
Toast and grind whole berries for rubs and braises, or simmer them whole in stocks and pickling liquid. A little is plenty.
Storage
Airtight and dark. Whole berries last over a year; ground allspice keeps a few months.
Buying note
Buy whole berries where you can; they should be dark brown and aromatic when crushed.
Classic dishes
Jamaican jerk, pumpkin pie, pickling spice, mole.
Out of allspice? Substitutes
No substitute is exact. These are the closest by flavor behavior, with the ratio to start from and how the result will differ.
| Use instead | Ratio | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| Clove with a little cinnamon | use a third as much clove | sharper, so lean on cinnamon to round it out |
| equal cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg | 1:1 combined | very close, since that is roughly what allspice tastes like |
Allspice is a single berry, not a mix, but it earned its English name because it tastes like clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg combined.
Common questions
- What does allspice taste like?
- Allspice is warm, like clove and cinnamon. Its overall intensity is medium.
- What can I use instead of allspice?
- The closest swaps are Clove with a little cinnamon (use a third as much clove, sharper, so lean on cinnamon to round it out); equal cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg (1:1 combined, very close, since that is roughly what allspice tastes like). No substitute is exact, so taste and adjust.
- Should I buy allspice whole or ground?
- Whole berries hold their oil well and grind cleanly when you need them. Ground allspice is convenient for baking and rubs but fades faster.
- How do you store allspice?
- Airtight and dark. Whole berries last over a year; ground allspice keeps a few months.
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From the Almanac
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