The Skinny on Belize: Allspice. The King of spices in the Caribbean.

Allspice, also called Jamaica pepper, pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta dulce, Turkish yenibahar, or newspice, is the dried unripe fruit (berries, used as a spice) of Pimenta dioica, a mid-canopy tree native to the Greater Antilles, southern Mexico, and Central America, now cultivated in many warm parts of the world. The name "allspice" was coined as early as 1621 by the English, who thought it combined the flavours of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, but it's really just a natural spice on its own that screams out Caribbean when added to food.

Allspice is the dried fruit of the P. dioica plant. The fruits are picked when green and unripe and are traditionally dried in the sun. When dry, they are brown and resemble large, brown, smooth peppercorns. The whole fruits have a longer shelf life than the powdered product and, produce a more aromatic product when freshly ground before use.

Allspice grows in many areas of Belize. The dried fruit and fresh leave are abundant. The leaves and branches of the tree are used in Jamaica when grilling jerk chicken this adds that level of flavor that is so distinctive to Jerk Chicken.

We use Allspice in many Caribbean Spice Belize Products. It comes through quite bold in the Caribbean Habenero Rub and Jamaican Jerk seasoning especially, and in our Island Blend whispers of allspice come through.