Allspice

Allspice
Illustration of twig, flowers, and fruits
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Pimenta
Species:	P. dioica
Binomial name
Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr.
Synonyms[2]
List Caryophyllus pimenta (L.) Mill. Eugenia micrantha Bertol. Eugenia pimenta (L.) DC. Evanesca crassifolia Raf. nom. illeg. Evanesca micrantha Bertol. Myrtus aromatica Poir. nom. illeg. Myrtus aromatica Salisb. nom. illeg. Myrtus dioica L. Myrtus pimenta L. Myrtus piperita Sessé & Moc. Pimenta aromatica Kostel. nom. illeg. Pimenta communis Benth. & Hook.f. Pimenta officinalis Lindl. Pimenta pimenta (L.) H.Karst. nom. inval. Pimenta vulgaris Bello Pimenta vulgaris Lindl. Pimentus aromatica Raf. nom. illeg. Pimentus geminata Raf. Pimentus vera Raf. nom. illeg.

Allspice (also called Jamaica pepper, Kurundu, Myrtle pepper, pimento, allspice berries, or newspice)^[3] is a spice which is the dried unripe fruit of the Pimenta dioica plant, a tree native to the West Indies, southern Mexico and Central America. The tree Pimenta dioica is from the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), and it is very valued for its berries. The allspice was named because the flavor of the berry is like a mixture of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It is used very much in baking, mostly for making mincemeat and mixed pickling spice. It was discovered first by the early Spanish explorers, who mistook it for a type of pepper.^[4]

Allspice is the only spice grown in the Western Hemisphere.^[5] But after that, the wild trees were cut down to get the berries and only a few allspice are left. There are many plantations in Mexico and Central America, too. However, the best allspice comes from Jamaica where the weather and soil are best for the berries.^[5]

1. ↑ Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).; IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group. (2019). "Pimenta dioica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T103121329A150119410. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T103121329A150119410.en. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
2. ↑ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 19 August 2015.
3. ↑ "Allspice : Substitutes, Ingredients, Equivalents". gourmetsleuth.com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
4. ↑ "allspice -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia". britannica.com. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} "allspice". theepicentre.com. Retrieved 27 April 2010.^{[permanent dead link]}