Allspice whole

Whole Allspice from Altes Gewürzamt, Jamaica Pepper from Guatemala

Whole allspice from Altes Gewürzamt are unground berries from Guatemala, known in kitchens by names such as Jamaica pepper and allspice. A single berry echoes with notes of clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg, saving you half the effort of creating a spice blend for a marinade or pot roast.

Whole allspice is a single spice from Altes Gewürzamt in Klingenberg am Main, packaged in a 60-gram tin. Botanically, the berry is the fruit of Pimenta dioica, a tree in the myrtle family, and it arrives unground.

Clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a single berry

When freshly crushed in a mortar, a round, warm aroma rises that first evokes clove. Following this, cinnamon and nutmeg emerge, transforming a single spice into the effect of an entire blend. Crushing just one berry between your fingers is enough to scent half the kitchen.

Allspice owes its clove-like note to eugenol, the same aromatic compound that gives true cloves their scent. The berries are picked unripe and green and sun-dried, which is why the finished berry looks like a very large peppercorn, even though it is unrelated to pepper.

In three languages, the fruit bears a name based on a misunderstanding. Spanish explorers mistook the berries for pepper and called them pimienta; the English named them allspice after their multifaceted aroma; and the German "Nelkenpfeffer" (clove-pepper) bundles both misconceptions into one word.

In marinades, red cabbage, and pot roasts

In a marinade for pot roast, the spice has time to penetrate deep into the meat over several hours. It pairs equally well with eggplant, pumpkin, root vegetables, and cabbage dishes, and sits alongside cinnamon and ginger in gingerbread dough. Mulled wine and pickled pumpkin also gain their warm depth from it.

Two to three berries are enough for a pot of red cabbage, as allspice is more potent than its peaceful brown shell suggests. It is best to leave the berries whole in the liquid and simply fish them out before serving. However, it should be ground when used in dough or forcemeat, where no one wants to bite into a hard berry.

In Nordic cuisine, allspice is used in herring brine; in the Caribbean, it is a staple in jerk marinades; and in German braising pots, it was long the spice for everything that simmered on the stove all afternoon. You can find similar warm spices among the cloves and our individual spices and herbs.

From Guatemala, selected for Altes Gewürzamt

To this day, almost the entire global trade in this spice originates from Central America and the Caribbean, as the tree is native there and yields its best harvest. The berries are harvested by hand and dried until the skin is brown and rough. For Altes Gewürzamt, it is precisely this stage of drying that is the mark of quality.

Ripe, well-dried produce can be identified by the rattling of the two seeds inside, which is exactly what Altes Gewürzamt looks for during procurement. Purchased whole, the spice retains its aroma for years because the essential oil is protected inside the berry, whereas ground powder loses its intensity after a few months.

Therefore, crush the berries only just before cooking. Allspice is part of the Altes Gewürzamt range, and for game dishes, the house offers a dedicated blend with its game spice.