Allspice essential to jerk cooking
Allspice, Pimenta dioica syn. P. officinalis, is also called clove pepper, Jamaica pepper, kurundu, myrtle pepper, pimenta and pimento (unrelated to the fleshy sweet pepper of the same name). It is not related to costmary, which is also sometimes called allspice.
Allspice is a tree native to South America and the West Indies, the fruits of which are an essential ingredient in Jamaican cooking. Berries which have reached full size but are not yet ripe are collected and dried, then usually ground to a powder.
It cannot be grown from seed, but if you can obtain a plant you can grow it in the garden if you are in a tropical or subtropical area (as it reaches a height of 50 feet, it will need to be a large garden), otherwise grow it in a pot in a greenhouse or as a houseplant. In order to obtain the fruit, you will need two, one male and one female.
Allspice was imported to the West in the 1600s, and is still sometimes used in cooking (especially for cooking in the style of the areas where it grows naturally, and also puddings). I don’t have any in my kitchen, but it apparently tastes like a cross between cloves, juniper berries, cinnamon and pepper. Supplies should be available from large supermarkets or specialist spice suppliers.
Most medicinal uses call for the use of fresh berries, so are only suitable for those who live in areas where it grows naturally. For example, you can make a plaster to treat rheumatism and neuralgia by boiling fresh berries to a pulp, then spreading them on a linen cloth which is placed over the area to be treated. Adding up to 1gm (10-15 grains) of powdered allspice to a laxative is said to reduce griping pains. You can also add it to food or a hot drink to treat indigestion, flatulence (“gas” or “wind”) or diarrhea and to relieve nervous exhaustion.
As with all plants grown for medicinal use, allspice should be grown organically to avoid the essential ingredients being masked or eliminated by the presence of other chemicals. To find out more about growing organic herbs visit the Gardenzone.
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September 26th, 2009 at 14:57
There’s a wealth of information here. I’ll be back again.