Allspice. All the Time.
The origins and many surprising uses of allspice. Bonus: Hairy Toad Lilies.
Allspice heads into heavy rotation during this most pumpkin-spiciest time of year. In my exotic neck of the woods, New Jersey, a miasma of allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg hangs over every Starbucks. Allspice is sprinkled in all the season’s food stars: apple pie, eggnog, pumpkin pie and gingerbread
You all are a smart bunch, so you undoubtedly know that allspice is a specific spice, not a blend of them. As a kid I thought it was something like pumpkin pie spice, an efficient, maybe even frugal, way to flavor a dish. And yes, as a kid I *did* think about allspice, which probably surprises no one.
We can blame Christopher Columbus that Jamaica and much of the West Indies call allspice pimenton (pepper). As with so many other things, he was confused. But at least in this case, his actions weren’t brutal and murderous. Columbus had been sent off to bring back riches, including peppercorns. He saw the dried allspice berries, thought they were peppercorns, and loaded those onto his boats and carried them back to Europe.
As a sort of an aside, I read a moving piece on the Taíno, indigenous peoples who spoke Arawak and migrated from South America into the Caribbean over a four-thousand year period. They were the people whom Columbus first encountered. I wish I’d grown up learning about Columbus as Jorge Baracutei Estevez, a modern Taíno leader, described:
“The people we now call Taíno discovered Christopher Columbus and the Spaniards. He did not discover us, as we were home and they were lost at sea when they landed on our shores. That’s how we look at it—but we go down in history as being discovered.”
While allspice is still called pimenta or pimenton in the Caribbean, some British Clever Clogs who thought it tasted like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, renamed it allspice in the early 17th century.
Pimento features heavily in many popular savory Jamaican dishes, such as jerk chicken and my favorite, rice and gungo peas. I learned to cook the dish what, I guess, is now a long time ago from a wonderful person named Estrianna. I’ve sadly lost touch with her, but every time I make her rice and peas, I think of her, which is something, at least.
Her recipe is pretty traditional, and adds whole allspice berries to the rice mixture while it’s cooking. That said, I only learned her recipe by watching, so to ensure uniform results, I suggest you use the Serious Eats Jamaican Rice and Peas recipe.
Jamaican jerk chicken, which makes a perfect accompaniment to rice and peas, not only has ground allspice in the spice marinade, but traditionally, the chicken is barbecued over the wood of the allspice tree—a member of the myrtle family.
The tree’s Latin name, pimenta dioica, is hey! also incorrect. Pimenta translates to pepper (which we’ve already established it’s not) and dioica implies the tree sheds its leaves, which, being an evergreen, it also does not. The tree grows 20 to 40 feet tall and is sometimes planted near coffee bushes to provide shade for the tender plants. See how useful our friend allspice is?
Allspice has long had uses beyond flavoring up rice dishes. The Mayans used it in their embalming practice. In homeopathic medicine, allspice is used to relieve indigestion. Thanks to its anesthetic properties, people spread a poultice of it to ease toothache and muscle aches. And I’ve read that Russian soldiers in the 19th century put ground allspice in their shoes to keep their feet warm (although haven’t found any primary sources for this). In ritualistic practice it is said to bring prosperity, so maybe tuck a few into your wallet.
It was also, not surprisingly, an early flavoring of chocolate in South America. And, of course, allspice’s popularity in cooking is not contained to the West Indies and South America. Allspice is central to North African spice mixes baharat and ras al hanout. Germans like it in pickling and gingerbread. And in Cincinnati, Ohio, allspice helps flavor that unique beast known as Cincinnati chili.
If you don’t already, explore using whole and ground allspice in savory foods. It adds warmth and depth to tomato-based sauces, and as part of a spicy beef marinade.
Bump up the power of store-bought pumpkin pie spice blend with the addition of allspice. And a little ground ginger while you’re at it.
Better yet, make your own mix of pumpkin pie spice. I add a pinch to brewing coffee, but I also like to mix it with sugar and sprinkle it on buttered toast for the most comforting of snacks.
Here’s my recipe for pumpkin pie spice, as featured in last week’s Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles:
Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend
This recipe makes more than is required for the cookies. I doubled the recipe so you can always have it around. And don’t tell anyone, but I plan to give it out as presents to friends around Thanksgiving. You know, all twee in cute little jars with ribbon and such.
What You’ll Need:
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
What You’ll Do:
Whisk all the spices together. Store in an airtight container away from light.
In other news: This weekend looks to be a rainy one in New Jersey, which is perfect as I plan on testing all sorts of recipes, including one for peanut butter cheesecake brownies. My daugh is home on a mini-break from college and if she approves the recipe, you can be assured it is ready for prime time. #whencriticshavecritics
What do you use allspice for? Would you be willing to sprinkle some in your shoes like the 19th century Russian soldiers and let us know if it keeps your feet warm? Please?
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We just got back from the Azores, and on the island of Terceira a very popular dish called Alcatra is slow-cooked in a clay pot in the oven, and brought to your table still in the pot. A key seasoning is whole allspice. We thought they were peppercorns at first! I bought a clay pot and have been making it at home.
Thank you for the history lesson and the beautiful pictures. Interesting, because I was shopping a couple of days ago and decided that what was left of my ground allspice was probably old so I bought a new jar. Karma!