If you have ever heard of, been to, or ate Caribbean food then you might recognize Allspice. Welcome back to 13 Days of Spices. A series where we cover 13 different spices over 13 days from December 8 – 20. For Day 5, we are learning about Allspice.

As I stated at the beginning of this post Allspice will make an appearance in most Caribbean dishes in either the whole or ground form. Allspice, also known as Jamaican Pepper, Pimento, or Clove Pepper is the dried berries of the West Indian allspice tree. Another member of the evergreen myrtle family, allspice is native to Jamaica especially with appearances in Central and South America.

The allspice tree can grow up to 40-feet tall. That is tall for such a small berry. The Jamaican variety of Allspice is the highest and most flavorful of all the varieties of allspice.

Allspice in Cooking

Rumored to be one of KFC`s “secret” spices, allspice has a delicious rich taste. Allspice is a staple for every pot of beans/peas that I make. The ground allspice is handy for baking and adding in fritter and dry flour seasoning.

Rastafari Ital uses allspice as one of the seasonings. You will never not find the little round black balls floating in your bowl of true Rastafari Ital.