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what else you should know

whole allspice berries

Allspice “berries” are harvested from the Jamaican bayberry, a mid-canopy tree found in Central America, southern Mexico, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and other Greater Antilles islands of the Caribbean. The fruits of the tree closely resemble peppercorns, which explains the various common names that refer to pepper. In fact, 15th century merchants engaged in spice exploration were convinced they had found black pepper in Jamaica and introduced the spice to the New World as Jamaican pepper.

Allspice shares a common chemical compound with nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, bay, basil, lemon balm and wormwood called eugenol that is responsible for the strong aroma and warming qualities of the spice. During the War of 1812, Russian soldiers placed whole allspice berries in their boots to help prevent unpleasant odors and cold feet.