Traditions with allspice

Allspice, the dried berry of a Caribbean tree, tastes like a mix of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg, hence the name. It is native to Jamaica and Central America, where it is called pimento, and is the base of jerk seasoning. It is also used in the cooking of the Middle East, Scandinavia and Britain, and in pickling and baking. Jamaicans burn its wood to smoke meat. These pages describe where it is used and what it means.

Where it is used

In Jamaica, allspice is the heart of jerk chicken and pork, smoked over pimento wood, and of the Christmas cake. In Sweden and Finland, it is used in meatballs and pickled herring, in the Middle East in stews and kibbeh, in Britain in Christmas puddings and in Mexico in adobos and moles. In the Cuban and Dominican kitchens it flavours sofrito and stews.

What it means

Jamaica's jerk tradition, said to come from the Maroons, who escaped slavery and cooked in the hills, is a point of national pride, and the pimento tree is cherished. Allspice berries were once used on long sea voyages to keep meat. Scandinavian cooks hold that a meatball needs allspice, and the scent is that of Christmas in many homes. A few berries in the pot are enough to give a whole stew its character.