Allspice

the dried berry of the pimento tree. It is also called Jamaica pepper. The pimento is a small tree of beautiful appearance. It grows wild throughout the West Indies, especially in Jamaica, where it is found up to a height of 4,000 feet above the sea. It prefers a limestone soil. The name allspice comes from the notion that the berry combines the flavor of the clove, cinnamon; and nutmeg. As the pimento berry loses its pungency when ripe, the berries are gathered unripe and dried carefully on floors, with frequent winnowing to prevent molding. When dry, the berries are sent to market in bags. Jamaica exports half a million dollars worth of pimento or allspice yearly. It is much used in cookery and to disguise the taste of medicines. Choice olives are sent to market filled with red pimento. See Spice; Pepper; Nutmeg; Cinnamon