Allspice, ground (raw? organic?)

The dried berries of allspice ( Pimenta dioica, syn. P. officinalis) are used as whole seeds or ground in numerous dishes. Known as allspice, allspice or four-spice, allspice is reminiscent of four other well-known spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves andpepper. Rarely available in organic quality ( organic) or as raw food.

Use in the kitchen:

Dried allspice seeds add a spicy, hot flavor to many dishes. In Caribbean cuisine, the fresh leaves of the allspice tree are also used as a spice. The bark and wood of the tree are also used there to smoke vegetables, fish and meat.

What does allspice taste like? Allspice tastes like cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg and has a slightly spicy pepper flavor.

What do you use allspice for? The whole seeds are added to long-simmering soups, and a combination with bay leaves and juniper gives it a special, spicy taste. For marinades, sauces, puddings and sweet pastries, the spice is best used as a powder, as it has a more intense flavor when ground. The delicious spice often refines ready-made spice mixtures and dressings and is a component of curry spice mixtures in Indian and Arabic cuisine.

Whole seeds can be added to compote or chutney. Allspice can also be used to enhance fruit salads, soy dishes or vegetable dishes.

Since clove pepper is a warming spice like cinnamon and cloves, it is particularly popular during the Christmas season. The four-spice herb is included in numerous spice mixtures for mulled wine and gingerbread.

What can you use instead of allspice? If necessary, you can replace allspice with nutmeg in dishes - and vice versa. Another substitute for allspice can be made from half a teaspoon each of the following three spices: ground cloves, cinnamon powder and ground nutmeg. The mixture should be used very sparingly at the beginning.

The English use allspice to season their plum puddings and mixed pickles. Allspice is also an ingredient in herbal liqueurs such as Bénédictine and Chartreuse.

The allspice is also used in sausage production and added to canned fish. The Scandinavians season pickled herring with allspice.

Vegan recipe for applesauce with allspice:

Ingredients: 2 kg apples, 600 ml apple cider, 600 ml apple juice, 500 g cane sugar, ½ teaspoon allspice (ground), 1 teaspoon each of cinnamon and cloves (ground).

Preparation: Peel the apples, remove the core and chop into large pieces. Reduce the apple wine and apple juice by half. Add the apples, cook for 40 minutes and process the mixture into a puree. Next, strain the puree through a sieve, mix with sugar and spices and put it back into the pot. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring constantly. Then fill into clean jars and seal immediately. As a variation, the apple puree, cooked with or without allspice, also tastes good as a sweet or spicy jam.

Making tea with allspice:

To make a cup of tea, take half a teaspoon of ground allspice seeds. Pour 250 ml of boiling water over them, cover and let the tea steep for ten minutes. Sweeten with honey or agave syrup as desired and enjoy warm.

Shopping - where to buy?

Allspice can usually be bought as dried berries, sometimes also ground, in many grocery stores, drugstores and supermarket chains such as Coop, Migros, Denner, Volg, Spar, Aldi, Lidl, Rewe, Edeka, Hofer etc. Four-spice in organic quality (bio) is available in organic stores, health food stores, organic supermarkets such as Denn's Biomarkt and Alnatura or online. Organically produced spices often come from organized small farming families or producer groups, which are then checked by national certification organizations. These guidelines correspond to the EC organic regulation.

We recommend buying organically grown allspice in raw food quality: it is gently dried. When buying, make sure that the raw food quality is explicitly stated on the packaging. If this note is missing, it is likely that the fruits were exposed to high temperatures during drying. Uncontrolled high temperatures can also occur when spices are dried in the sun, especially if the substrate is black, for example, and/or retains heat well. Either way, there is no official label for raw food, which is why a lot of trust is necessary.

It is best to buy whole allspice seeds and grind them fresh when needed so that the aroma can develop properly; use a pepper mill for this. To avoid clogging the coffee grinder when grinding larger quantities, you can first chop the seeds in a blender or crush them in a mortar.

Found in the wild:

The clove pepper tree is native to the Antilles. It has spread naturally from southern Mexico through the Caribbean islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and the Lesser Antilles. There you will find predominantly calcareous or bauxite (aluminium ore) soils with good drainage, which allow Pimenta dioica to thrive. ¹

Storage:

What is the best way to store spices? Dark, airtight containers, such as screw-top jars, are ideal for storing spices. These should be placed in a dry, cool place, protected from light.

With allspice, pepper and nutmeg, it is better to store the whole grains or seeds and only grind them or crush them in a mortar shortly before use. This way, the spice can be stored for up to three years without losing much of its aroma. In addition, processing it shortly before use promotes a more intense aroma. Ground or crushed allspice has a shelf life of around 4-6 months.

Ingredients - nutritional value - calories:

The unripe fruits of allspice, which are used dried, contain around 3-5% essential oil - with the components eugenol (also eugenol methyl ether), caryophyllene and cineole. Resins and tannins can also be found in the fruits. The content of the essential oil eugenol can vary greatly depending on the growing area. Clove pepper from Jamaica has a content of around 60% eugenol, products from other growing areas (e.g. Mexico, Honduras) can contain only 10-15% of this essential oil. In addition to allspice, this substance also gives cloves ( Syzygium aromaticum) their spicy smell and aromatic taste. ²

The energy content of dried allspice seeds is 263 kcal/100g, of which 26.7% are carbohydrates and 12.2% are proteins. Dietary fiber accounts for 86.4%. ³

Although allspice and cloves belong to the same plant family, cloves can have a noticeably higher manganese content (60 mg/100g) - compared to allspice with 2.9 mg/100g. In comparison, black pepper contains 13 mg/100g and cinnamon 17 mg/100g of this trace element. Manganese helps to keep the cartilage tissue in the body healthy. ³

The calcium content in clove pepper (661 mg/100g) is in a good range compared to other spices, e.g. black mustard seeds (393 mg/100g) or poppy seeds (1,438 mg/100g). A sufficient calcium intake is very important for the development of the skeleton and especially during the growth phases of infancy and adolescence. ³

The high potassium content of 1,044 mg/100g is worth mentioning. Although spices are not consumed in large quantities on a daily basis, the potassium content in allspice is astonishing - compared to the amount in bananas (358 mg/100g). Potassium is an essential macronutrient that regulates the water balance in cells, among other things. ³

The iron content in clove pepper is 7.1 mg/100g, which is similar to that of chia seeds (7.7 mg/100g). Dried herbs such as thyme (124 mg/100g) or dried basil (90 mg/100g) contain a lot of iron. The daily iron requirement is 14 mg, which 100 g of cardamom would theoretically cover. Iron as a trace element is important for the transport of oxygen in the blood and for the storage of oxygen in the cells. ³

In addition, the dried allspice fruits contain a significant amount of vitamin C. ⁴ At 39 mg, 100 g of allspice cover almost 50% of the daily requirement. Due to the low daily consumption, a combination with other foods rich in vitamin C is particularly important. The yellow bell pepper contains a particularly high amount of vitamin C at 184 mg/100g. Other spices such as dried coriander leaves (567/100g) or fenugreek leaves (220 mg/100g) show high values. Vitamin C is well known as an important antioxidant, see our video. ³

Health aspects - effects:

Aromatic compounds in allspice such as glycosides and polyphenols have antibacterial, pain-relieving and blood pressure-lowering effects. ⁵ Since allspice can slow blood clotting, caution is advised when taking anticoagulant medication at the same time. Before taking preparations containing allspice, in particular, you should consult your doctor.

The antibacterial efficacy of bark extracts from Pimenta dioica is proven, especially against drug-resistant urinary tract pathogens. This study also includes the investigation of leaf extracts from the cashew tree ( Anacardium occidentale, see Cashew nut). ⁶

Isolated compounds of eugenol and gallic acid have growth-inhibiting and antitumor properties in human and animal cancer cells. ⁵ Compounds such as ericifolin show potent activity against prostate cancer and breast cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. ⁷

In addition, allspice oil has a fungicidal effect, which is particularly true for Candida fungi that attack the intestines or mucous membranes. ⁸ Important plant-pathogenic fungi, such as Fusarium species, Penicillium species and Aspergillus species, can also be successfully combatted with allspice oil. ⁹

Some dentists use eugenol to kill germs on teeth and gums or to make pain more bearable. In dentistry, clove oil and allspice leaf oil are used as prophylaxis and help treat acute pulpitis (inflammation of the dental pulp) and acute periodontitis (bacterial inflammation of the periodontal tissue). ¹⁰ Eugenol is also incorporated directly into materials (e.g. dental cement). When mixed with zinc oxide powder, the paste has an analgesic and antibacterial effect and is used as emergency dentistry. ¹¹ However, sensitive people must be aware of the mucous membrane-irritating effect of the phenols it contains!

Dangers - Intolerances - Side effects:

When applied directly to the skin, the phenols contained in allspice oil can irritate the skin and cause allergic skin reactions in sensitive people. Pregnant women and children under the age of six should avoid using this oil in large medicinal quantities; it is safe to use as a food or spice.

In 2013, the IARC ( International Agency for Research on Cancer) classified eugenol in the form of methyl eugenol as possibly carcinogenic. Excessive use of allspice oil is therefore not recommended. ¹²

Use as a medicinal plant:

Allspice as a spice stimulates digestion and saliva production and acts as a stomach-strengthening bitter agent in cases of loss of appetite. ² Due to its digestive properties, allspice can help the body lose weight. Diuretic ingredients are useful for detoxification and help to excrete toxic substances more quickly.

Since the eugenol contained in allspice supports the treatment of bacterial infections, it is particularly popular in the winter months for colds and gastrointestinal complaints.

In addition, allspice is said to relieve stomach pain, heavy menstrual bleeding and fever when taken internally and to have positive effects on diseases such as diabetes or obesity. ¹³

Externally, clove pepper oil is used for muscle tension, rheumatic complaints (bath additives) and skin problems such as acne or skin parasites. In case of skin injuries, you can place a cloth soaked in tea on the skin as a compress, which you should change several times a day to prevent inflammation and infection.

Folk medicine - naturopathy:

In naturopathy, the effect of the warming spice is not only used to stimulate blood circulation, but also has a positive effect on digestion, metabolism and cell growth. Allspice tea also provides relief for asthmatics and respiratory diseases such as coughs.

In Jamaica, people also use hot allspice tea to help with colds and menstrual pain. Allspice has a calming and relaxing effect that has a positive effect on stress and concentration.

The famous Aztec drink, xocólatl (xocóatl), contained allspice alongside cocoa and many other spices. Translated from Nahuatl, "xócoc" means bitter and "atl" means water, i.e. "bitter water". This advanced civilization also used clove pepper as a spice and medicinal plant.

Occurrence - Origin:

The allspice originates in the Caribbean, in the Greater and Lesser Antilles. Allspice came to Europe through Christopher Columbus, where it was spread by the English around 1600. ¹ Today, the allspice tree can be found in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Brazil and the West Indies, in addition to the Caribbean islands. The main growing area is still Jamaica, where the best quality allspice comes from. ²

Growing as a potted plant:

As a tropical plant, allspice needs temperatures between 15 and 25 °C all year round. The tree can also tolerate temperatures of around 5 °C for a short time. Allspice can be kept as a potted plant on the balcony or terrace in summer. However, it must be brought into the house or conservatory for wintering. Depending on the temperature, the leaves of the evergreen allspice tree can fall off during this time, but the leaves will sprout again in spring. The allspice tree does not tolerate waterlogging, but does need a regular supply of water and is grateful for some fertilizer or compost in the summer months. To prevent it from growing too tall, the shoots can be trimmed a little in spring.

Cultivation - Harvest:

Allspice ( Pimenta dioica L.) is a 6 to 15 m tall tree with a thin trunk and grey-white bark that flakes off easily. ² The evergreen tree grows in Mexico, the West Indies, Guatemala, Cuba, Brazil and Jamaica.

The plant has lanceolate-oval leaves that are bright green on the upper side and forms axillary panicles with dense inflorescences. The white flowers are bisexual, some are purely male and others purely female, which is something to be taken into account when cultivating allspice. For this reason, Jamaica mostly grows functionally female trees (clones) and only a few male trees are planted for pollination. ¹

The mostly two-seeded, berry-like stone fruits are 5-7 mm in size and are purple to dark brown when ripe. To ensure that they retain their aroma, they are picked by hand before they are fully ripe. Essential oil is extracted from these green fruits or they are dried in the sun for seven to ten days for use as a spice. ⁴

The trees can reach an age of over 100 years. They bear fruit from around the seventh year and produce the maximum yield in the 15th year. The maximum yield of allspice seeds per tree is around 45 kg per year. However, a regular harvest is very uncertain and is only satisfactory every 3 years. ¹

Danger of confusion:

The dried berries of allspice (Pimenta dioica) look very similar to the seeds of pepper (Piper nigrum). However, the allspice seed is slightly larger and combines four aromatic notes (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pepper).

A very closely related species is Pimenta racemosa, also known as the bay laurel, bay or West Indian laurel. Bay rum is distilled from the leaves and is used primarily for medicinal purposes. ¹ The fruits of P. racemosa can be confused with those of P. dioica and are sometimes used as an inferior substitute or for adulteration. ¹⁴

General information:

Allspice ( Pimenta dioica) is a plant species of the genus Pimenta and belongs to the myrtle family (Myrtaceae; not: Myrtaceae). The genus Pimenta includes 12-15 species. The fact that Pimenta dioica is a dioecious species is reflected in its botanical name ( P. dioica). ¹⁵

Spanish explorers confused the allspice berries with those of the common pepper (Piper nigrum) due to their similarity in shape and taste . According to Wikipedia, the fruits were incorrectly referred to as pimienta (=pepper) and were later anglicized to pimento. ¹⁵

Alternative names:

Allspice is also known by the common names allspice, English spice, fashionable spice, spice grains, Jamaica pepper, new spice or spice grain. ²

In English, the term allspice is used predominantly. In Spanish, allspice is known as pimento or pimiento and in French as quatre-épices, tout-épices, piment giroflé or poivre giroflé. Piment in French and pimento in Spanish are also used for Capsicum annuum, the Spanish pepper, or for paprika. ¹⁶

Keywords for use:

A study on the effect of growth performance and disease resistance in tilapia showed that allspice has a good effect as an alternative to antibiotics in streptococcal diseases. ¹⁷

Literature - Sources: