Allspice

Allspice is one of the world’s most widely used and beloved spices. From smells that evoke sweet cinnamon and pleasant nutmeg to powerful flavor synergies existent when used with other ingredients, allspice has truly earned its name. But few people know that this aromatic and revered spice is produced more than 8,000 miles away, in tropical climates, involving plants and creatures that couldn’t be too different from our own. Let’s break down what it takes to get Allspice from its origin at the foothills of Central and South American rainforests , to a dinner plate far away.

To start, Allspice is actually the dried, unripe fruit of the Pimenta dioica tree, a medium-sized evergreen commonly cultivated in tropical climates in Central and South America. The tree can typically be found in small groups, typically looking fairly similar in stature at between seven and twenty feet high, making it easy to pick out amongst other plants. To try and put this into some sort of perspective, think of somewhere like Hawaii. It’s humid, there’s plenty of sunshine and the temperatures are kept in the 80’s year round. This is the kind of environment the Pimenta dioica tree needs in order to thrive and produce fruit.

Once these Allspice trees have grown up, bloomed and borne their fruits, farmers collect and handpick the berries when they’re ripe and red. After harvesting, the berries are packed according to size into burlap sacks and transported to curing stations, where the berries are cleaned and spread onto large, opaque plastic or canvas trays and left to cure in the sun for several days. During this time, the berries gradually lose moisture and become a deep, reddish-brown in colour, resembling miniature dark raisins.

From the curing station, the freshly sundried Allspice berries are then moved to warehouses where they are inspected, packed and stored. This part of the process is important to both the farmer, who needs to ensure the precious product they produced can make it back to the nearest port city, and the warehouse owner and buyer, who will both have to inspect the cargo for visual cues of any pathogens which may have been present in the environment during curing, as well as flag any signs of damage which may have been caused during transport.

Once satisfactorily inspected, the Allspice makes its second and final journey – the long voyage across the ocean where it will land in cities like Los Angeles, New York or London, ready to be shipped to retailers and consumers all around the globe. The journey from crossing the equator all the way to the north takes between six and twelve weeks. It will go from being stored in ventilated containers to being air conditioned on ships, all to ensure that the product arrives at its destination in perfect condition.

And finally, after weeks of journeying, the Allspice will have arrived at its destination. This is the last leg of its journey, as it is taken off the dock, sorted into individual orders and shipped to the store, where it will be sold to the public. From an ingredient that once grew in lush and tropical rainforests, and was harvested and dried by farmers on plantations, it can now be found in urban supermarkets throughout the world.

Allspice is a complex and interesting spice that has made its way to every kitchen, every country and every mouth. Its evolution is remarkable and it certainly shows – its distinct flavour, smell and properties have fuelled its journey through time, and its incredible ‘all spice’ synergies have made us continue to use it in hundreds of dishes to this day. Indeed, we now know that the final and longest part of an Allspice’s journey happens out at sea – but what truly takes the cake, is the depth and complexity of all the other steps involved before it, which are all necessary for this one incredible little berry to make its way from tropical forests to our dinner plates.