What Is Allspice? (2024)

FAQs

What are the five spices in allspice? ›

Allspice is considered a type of warm spice for its strong pungent aroma and warm and spicy taste. With this single spice, it is loaded with distinctly different flavors that are reminiscent of nutmeg, cloves, ginger, pepper, and cinnamon.

Substitutes for Allspice include using a combination of cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon as well as similar spice blends such as pumpkin pie spice (with some added pepper to achieve the savory notes of allspice) or apple pie spice.

It makes sense that allspice is often mistaken for a blend like Chinese five-spice or pumpkin spice—because the flavor profile is multidimensional, featuring notes of cloves, nutmeg, star anise, fennel, black pepper, and cinnamon. It's warming, with a peppery and savory backbone, says Schiff.

Allspice is a spice made from the dried berries of a plant known as Pimenta dioica, which is a member of the myrtle family. The flavor of allspice brings to mind cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and pepper. Allspice is used in Caribbean, Middle Eastern, and Latin American cuisines, among others.

The warm, spicy-sweet flavor of allspice is very similar to that of five-spice powder, a blend of cinnamon, star anise, fennel, cloves, and ginger or pepper. Use equal parts of five-spice powder in place of the ground allspice called for in a recipe—it's great for both savory and sweet applications.

McCormick Culinary Ground Allspice features a woody flavor combination reminiscent of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sourced especially for chefs, McCormick Culinary Ground Allspice is carefully ground for authentic flavor and soft, consistent texture in any chef-inspired recipe.

WHAT IS ALLSPICE USED FOR? You can use allspice in a variety of recipes that are sweet or savory such as cookies, pumpkin pie, spice cake, spicing for sausage and glazes for ham. It's a key flavor in Jamaican jerk seasoning, the fiery blend of herbs and spices that turns chicken or pork into an instant party.

Allspice is considered safe in small amounts. While anecdotal evidence suggests potential side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, and drug interactions, when it's consumed in large amounts, no scientific evidence supports these claims.

Allspice is used for indigestion (dyspepsia), intestinal gas, abdominal pain, heavy menstrual periods, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, colds, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. It is also used for emptying the bowels.

Allspice, also known as Jamaica pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta, or pimento, is the dried unripe berry of Pimenta dioica, a midcanopy tree native to the Greater Antilles, southern Mexico, and Central America, now cultivated in many warm parts of the world.

How many spices are mixed in allspice? ›

Often mistaken for a blend of spices, allspice is a single-ingredient seasoning with loads of unique flavor. Its name is derived from the flavor profile — a mixture of nutmeg, black pepper, cinnamon and clove. Not all spices, but many of the most impactful.

The short answer is no. Allspice is a combination of flavors similar to cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. It's just one of the spices that make up the Lebanese seven spices. However, some recipes will state to use ground allspice instead of this blend if you can't get your hands on it.

What is five spice powder made of? Five spice is a blend of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns and fennel seeds. If you don't have Sichuan peppercorns to hand, you could substitute them for black peppercorns – the flavour will still be nice, although it won't have the same heat.

To start with, Chinese five spice is Chinese in origin. Seven spice powder is Japanese, and also called shichimi togarashi. Unlike Five Spice, Seven spice's foundation is comprised of chilis, dried orange peel, sesame seed, dried ginger, and seaweed, as well as Sichuan peppercorns.

Allspice contains a large amount of phenols, or aromatic compounds. Many phenols are being studied as cancer-fighting treatments. Quercetin, ericifolin, eugenol, and gallic acid are being studied for their ability to slow the growth of cancer cells.