Pimenta dioica, commonly called allspice or Jamaica pepper, is native to the West Indies, Mexico and Central America. It is a small evergreen tree that typically grows from 20-40' tall. The dried unripe fruits (peppercorn-like drupes to 1/4" long) from this tree are ground up into the cooking spice known as allspice. Fruits (drupes to 1/4" long) are picked green, dried in the sun and stored, either powdered or whole, for culinary use. Whole fruits generally have a longer shelf life than powders and can be ground or crushed fresh when needed. Leaves (3-6" long) are oblong, leathery and aromatic. Leaves are sometimes used in cooking in somewhat the same manner as bay leaves (remove leaves after cooking). Creamy white flowers in panicles (pyramidal cymes) bloom from the upper leaf axils in summer. Female flowers give way to small green fruits which mature to reddish-brown. Allspice is perhaps the most important spice in Caribbean cuisine. It is used in Caribbean jerk seasoning, mole sauces, marinades and for pickling. It is also used as a spicy addition to meats, stews and sausages. Pimento dram is a rum-based Jamaican liqueur made with allspice. Jamaica is the primary exporter of allspice in the world today
Pimento is the major spice produced in Jamaica, and Jamaica is still one of its' chief producers. The quality of pimento is rated by the amount of oil it contains and the composition of the oil. Jamaica pimento contains about 4% volatile oil and the eugenol content varies from 30-90%.
