Very few names are as misleading as allspice. Pimenta dioica is in fact a dried berry that grows in the Caribbean area. Legend has it that the Spanish thought it was Indian pepper (hence why they still call it pimenta) and that they'd successfully gone all the way to India. Allspice got its name from the British who thought it tasted like like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and pepper (it does) and that these were all the spices in the world (their culinary traditions are given side eye for a reason). It is sweet, warm, earthy, and delicious.
As it comes from the new world, allspice is used mainly in Mexican moles and in Jamaican wood smoked jerk pastes and I'm going to leave that one alone. Jamaica's is said to be the best with Mexican allspice being poo-pooed by spice snobs (of which I am proud to say I am not one). It doesn't like to grow outside of its native lands so you won't see it used much in, say, Swedish cooking. Other uses are in pastries, pickling spice and Jamaican curries.
Allspice is also a key component in Cincinnati style chili. While I live in Philadelphia now, I was actually born in Cincinnati although my family moved here when I was only 6 months old. At the time, my mother was eating in Skyline Chili when she went into labor. Yes, apparently allspice is so good I jumped out to say "damn, gimme some more!"
And so began my spice obsession.
Speaking of Skyline, why not try a veggie recipe based on their chili?
If nothing else, the take home message should be that allspice is not a blend of all spices. It is not a blend at all. It is a spice. It is a crop that Jamaica is so proud of they have strict regulations on how it is grown and harvested to ensure quality. Just try to keep a straight face when they tell you it's used in jerking.
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