It is also know as Jamaica pepper, common name applied to the berry of a small West Indian tree of the myrtle family.
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.
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.
English | : | Spice, Jamaica Pepper, Clove Pepper, Myrtle Pepper, Pimenta, Pimento |
French | : | pimenta, tout-épice |
German | : | Jamikapfefer |
Indian | : | kabab cheene, seetful |
Italian | : | pimento |
Spanish | : | pimiento de Jamaica |