What does allspice mean?
Allspice is a single spice made from the dried, unripe berries of Pimenta dioica, an evergreen tree native to the West Indies and Central America. Despite its name, it is not a mixture: the berry earned the name because its complex aroma seems to combine the flavours of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, with hints of pepper. Ground allspice is a staple of baking — pumpkin pie, gingerbread, and spiced cakes — while whole berries flavour pickles, brines, mulled drinks, and Scandinavian dishes. It is indispensable to Jamaican jerk seasoning, where it is often paired with smoked pimento wood for grilling. The word entered English in the early seventeenth century, when English traders encountering the berry in the Caribbean judged its taste to resemble 'a composition of several spices'. Warm, earthy, and faintly sweet, allspice remains one of the most versatile and distinctive spices in the world's kitchens.
nounAllspice is the dried, unripe berry of the tropical tree Pimenta dioica, ground and used as a warm, aromatic spice whose flavour resembles a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- The dried, unripe berries of Pimenta dioica, used whole or ground as a spice with a flavour reminiscent of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves combined.
"The jerk marinade owes its deep warmth to a generous spoonful of ground allspice."
"She added a pinch of allspice to the pumpkin pie filling for extra warmth."
"Whole allspice berries simmered with the mulled wine released their clove-like aroma."
Allspice is usually treated as a mass noun and rarely pluralised; when a plural appears at all it typically refers to multiple varieties or batches rather than individual berries, which are instead called 'allspice berries'.
"The shop stocks allspices from both Jamaica and Guatemala."
Allspice isn't a blend at all — it's a single berry that tastes like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves got together and agreed on one flavour.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of allspice
The word allspice dates to the early seventeenth century, when English speakers in the Caribbean named the berry after its flavour, which they took to combine several familiar spices in one. The term combines 'all' with 'spice'. The plant itself was encountered by Spanish explorers, who called it 'pimenta', from the Latin pigmentum meaning a spice or condiment; this Latin root also underlies the word 'pimento'. Allspice is thus related etymologically to the pimento/pimiento family of words through that shared Latin origin.
How allspice is actually used
Allspice is a culinary term used in everyday and recipe contexts; it carries no figurative or formal register. It is sometimes called 'pimento' or 'Jamaican pepper', reflecting its strong association with Jamaican cuisine, especially jerk seasoning. The name refers to the flavour impression of a combination of spices, not to any mixture of ingredients.
Easily confused with allspice
Mixed spice is a British blend of several spices (typically cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves), whereas allspice is a single spice from one berry that merely tastes like such a blend.
Allspice is sometimes called pimento, but the word pimiento more commonly refers to the sweet red pepper used in pimento cheese and stuffed olives — an entirely different plant.