allspice

/ˌɔlˈspaɪs/

/ˈɔlspaɪs/

Other forms: allspices

Allspice is a pungent ground spice that's used in various kinds of baking and cooking. The flavor of allspice is particularly important in jerk chicken and other Caribbean dishes.

Allspice was first imported from Jamaica to England in the 16th century. Its distinct flavor, which resembles a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, inspired the English name allspice, and some historians credit a physician who accompanied Christopher Columbus with coining the name. The tree which produces the fruit is called an allspice as well, also known as a Jamaican pepper tree.

Definitions of allspice

1. noun

   a spice made from the dried, unripe berries of a tropical evergreen tree of the Caribbean and Central America, having a flavor like a blend of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg
   synonyms: pimento
2. noun

   deciduous shrubs having aromatic bark; eastern China; southwestern and eastern United States
   types:

   Calycanthus floridus, Carolina allspice, strawberry bush, strawberry shrub, sweet shrub

   hardy shrub of southeastern United States having clove-scented wood and fragrant red-brown flowers

   California allspice, Calycanthus occidentalis, spicebush

   straggling aromatic shrub of southwestern United States having fragrant brown flowers

   type of:

   bush, shrub

   a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems