Spices and Medicinal Herbs
A complete guide to vegetables, spices & herbs

What are spices?

Classification of spices

- Allspice
- Black Cardamon
- Green Cardamon
- Cinnamon
- Cumin
- Arecaceae
- Bromeliaceae
- Cyperaceae
- Hydrocharitaceae
- Liliaceae
- Orchidaceae
- Poaceae (or Gramineae)
- Zingiberaceae

- Apiaceae
- Asteraceae
- Betulaceae
- Brassicaceae
- Cactaceae
- Caryophyllaceae
- Cornaceae
- Cucurbitaceae
- Ericaceae
- Euphorbiaceae
- Fabaceae
- Fagaceae
- Lamiaceae
- Lauraceae
- Magnoliaceae
- Nymphaeaceae
- Papaveraceae
- Piperaceae
- Ranunculaceae
- Rosaceae

What are herbs?

Classification of herbs

Annual herbs
Biennial Herbs
Perennial Herbs

What are vegetables?

Classification of vegetables

Spice : Allspice

(Botanical name: Pimenta dioica)

Classification

• Kingdom : Plantae
• Subkingdom : Tracheobionta
• Superdivision : Spermatophyta
• Division : Magnoliophyta
• Class : Magnoliopsida
• Subclass : Rosidae
• Order : Myrtales
• Family : Myrtaceae
• Genus : Pimenta
• Species : P. dioica

It is also know as Jamaica pepper, common name applied to the berry of a small West Indian tree of the myrtle family.

Flavour

Allspice takes its name from its aroma, which smells like a combination of spices, especially cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Christopher Columbus discovered allspice in the Caribbean. Although he was seeking pepper, he had never actually seen real pepper and he thought allspice was it. He brought it back to Spain, where it got the name "pimienta," which is Spanish for pepper. In much of the world, allspice is called pimento because the Spanish mistook the fruit for black pepper, which the Spanish called pimienta.

History

Allspice is the only spice that is grown exclusively in the Western Hemisphere. The evergreen tree that produces the allspice berries is indigenous to the rainforests of South and Central America where it grows wild. Most allspice is produced in Jamaica, but some other sources for allspice include Guatemala, Honduras, as well as Mexico. Jamaican allspice is considered to be superior due to its higher oil content, which gives it a more appealing flavor.

The spice was imported to Europe soon after the discovery of the new world. There were several attempts made to transplant it to spice producing regions of the east, but these trees produced little fruit. Despite its rich fragrance and a strong flavour resembling other more coveted spices, allspice never had the same caché in Europe as cinnamon or pepper. The English started making regular shipments to England in 1737, but by that time the lust for spices been eclipsed by other New-World products like sugar and coffee. It was quite popular in England though, where it came to be known as 'English Spice". In the Napoleonic war of 1812, Russian soldiers put allspice in their boots to keep their feet warm and the resultant improvement in odours is carried into today's cosmetic industries, where pimento oil is usually associated with men's toiletries (especially products with the word 'spice' on the label).

Plant Description

Allspice is a tropical evergreen shrubby tree, growing 7 -13m (22-43 ft) in height. It has smooth grey bark, with elliptic, glossy leaves, dark green and glossy, up to 15 cm (6 in) long. It has small white flowers appearing in mid summer followed by green berries that turn purple when ripe.

Cultivation

Trees are planted about 10m (30 ft) apart, allowing room for a full canopy of fruit-bearing branches. Fruit starts to develop after about five years, and becomes full-bearing after twenty years.

It can be grown outdoors in the tropics and subtropics with normal garden soil and watering. Smaller plants can be killed by frost, although larger plants are more tolerant. It adapts well to container culture and can be kept as a houseplant or in a greenhouse. The plant has separate sexes, hence male and female plants must be kept in proximity in order to allow fruits to develop.

Allspice is most commonly sold as whole dried fruits or as a powder. Whole dried allspice will keep indefinitely when kept out of light in airtight jars. The whole fruits have a longer shelf-life than the powdered product and produce a more aromatic product when freshly ground before use. The ground spice loses flavour quickly.

Parts Used

The fruit is picked when it is green and unripe, traditionally they are then sun dried. When dry they are brown and look like large brown peppercorns. Unripe berries are harvested and sun dried until the seeds in them rattle. They vary in size between 4 to 7 mm (1/8 - 1/4 in) in diameter and are dark brown with wrinkled skins. The outer case contains two dark, hard kidney-shaped seeds. Allspice is available whole or ground.

Medicinal Properties

• Allspice provides relief for digestive problems because the volatile oil contains Eugenol, a weak antimicrobial agent.
• It is also carminative in nature as it also contains an oil rubefacient, meaning that it irritates the skin and expands the blood vessels, increasing the flow of blood to make the skin feel warmer.
• The tannins in allspice provide a mild anesthetic that, with its warming effect, make it a popular home remedy for arthritis and sore muscles, used either as a poultice or in hot baths.

Culinary Uses

• Allspice can be used as a substitute, measure, for cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg.
• Jerked meats like pork, chicken and kid reflect the Spanish/Jamaican background of Allspice.
• It is a particularly popular spice in European cooking, an important ingredient in many marinades, pickling and mulling spices.
• Many pâtés, terrines, smoked and canned meats include allspice. It is also used in liqueurs.

Other names

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