Allspice Berries, Whole

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Verywell Fit articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and nutrition and exercise healthcare professionals. Allspice is a single spice with a flavor profile that resembles a combination of four different spices: cloves, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. But because it’s not a spice that you reach for often, it’s easy to run out of allspice and forget to replace it. If you’ve ever had gingerbread cookies or Caribbean or Middle Eastern cuisines, chances are you’ve tasted allspice.

If the recipe is a savory one then you can also add in some ground black pepper to suit the recipe a little more. Once dried, the fruits look like peppercorns but fresh and unripe, the green berries more closely resemble olives. However perhaps the confusion lies within its flavor profile, because, whilst it isn’t a mix of different spices, it certainly tastes and smells that way. Not only does it last longer, when freshly ground with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, it imparts a stronger flavor. It makes sense that allspice is often mistaken for a blend like Chinese five-spice or pumpkin spice—because the flavor profile is multidimensional, featuring notes of cloves, nutmeg, star anise, fennel, black pepper, and cinnamon.The name “allspice” is misleading as it comprises solely of the dried berries of the pimento tree ( Pimenta dioica).

Cultivated today in many warm parts of the world, it’s green when harvested, fermented, then dried in the sun, where it turns red-brown. Round up some whole spices including cloves, cinnamon sticks, mustard seeds, whole allspice berries, coriander seeds, bay leaves, and red pepper flakes (via All Recipes).The flavor of allspice is a combination of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg (all spices) and the flavor of this mixture is actually rather mild, and it is a somewhat, almost fruity version of cloves. Allspice has been described as tasting like a combination of nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves (hence the substitution suggested above). You can either adjust the amount accordingly or avoid using a mix that has these added extras, depending on what your recipe is. Ground and whole allspice can be found in most supermarkets in quantities that range from less than one ounce to three ounces.