Allspice
Allspice is the dried berry of the Pimenta dioica tree, native to the Caribbean, with a flavor reminiscent of a blend of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg despite being a single spice.
How to buy
Whole dried berries keep their flavor far longer than ground allspice, so buy whole and grind as needed when possible. Look for round, dark brown, slightly wrinkled berries that feel heavy and smell fragrant; ground allspice should smell warm and pungent, not dusty or flat.
How to store
Keep it airtight in a cool, dark pantry. Whole berries hold their potency for 3 to 4 years, while ground allspice fades faster and is best used within about a year.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Warm and complex, tasting like a natural blend of clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg with a peppery bite underneath. It shows up in both sweet and savory dishes, adding depth without reading as any single familiar spice.
- Texture
- Small, hard, round dried berries that grind down to a fine brown powder.
- Aroma
- A warm, sweet-spicy aroma with a clove-forward pungency and a hint of pepper.
How to prepare
- Toasted whole — Lightly toasted to deepen its aroma before grinding or steeping.
- Ground fresh — Crushed just before use for the most potent, fragrant flavor.
- Simmered whole in braises — Added as whole berries to stews and marinades, then strained out or left in.
- Mixed into dry rubs — Blended with other warm spices for jerk seasoning and meat rubs.
Classic dishes
American
- Pumpkin pie — A custard pie spiced with a blend that often includes allspice alongside cinnamon and ginger.
- Pickling spice blend — A mix of whole spices, including allspice berries, used to flavor vinegar-based pickles.
- Cincinnati chili — A thin, spiced meat sauce served over spaghetti, seasoned with allspice and cinnamon.
Mexican
- Mole poblano — A complex sauce of chiles, chocolate, and spices where allspice adds warmth to the blend.
Greek
- Stifado — A slow-braised beef and onion stew seasoned with allspice and cinnamon.
Middle Eastern
- Kibbeh — A bulgur and minced meat dish where allspice is a signature seasoning.
- Baharat spice blend — A warming seven-spice blend built around allspice, cumin, and black pepper.
German
- Sauerbraten marinade — A tangy pot roast marinade seasoned with allspice berries alongside cloves and bay leaves.
Caribbean
- Jamaican jerk chicken — Chicken marinated in a fiery allspice-forward jerk paste before grilling or smoking.
- Jamaican jerk pork — Pork rubbed and marinated in a jerk seasoning built on allspice and scotch bonnet chile.
- Jamaican curry goat — A slow-braised goat curry seasoned with allspice among its warming spices.
- Caribbean rice and peas — Coconut rice and beans seasoned with whole allspice berries during cooking.
- Pepperpot stew — A hearty meat and greens stew seasoned with allspice and other warming spices.
- Haitian griot — Marinated, fried pork seasoned with allspice among its citrus and garlic marinade.
British & Irish
- Mincemeat pie filling — A spiced fruit and suet filling that leans on allspice for warmth.
- Christmas pudding — A dense, steamed fruit pudding spiced generously with allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.