Allspice “berries” are harvested from the Jamaican bayberry, a
mid-canopy tree found in Central America, southern Mexico, Puerto Rico,
Jamaica and other Greater Antilles islands of the Caribbean. The fruits
of the tree closely resemble peppercorns, which explains the various
common names that refer to pepper. In fact, 15th century merchants
engaged in spice exploration were convinced they had found black pepper
in Jamaica and introduced the spice to the New World as Jamaican pepper.
Allspice shares a common chemical compound with nutmeg, cloves,
cinnamon,
bay,
basil,
lemon balm and
wormwood called eugenol that is
responsible for the strong aroma and warming qualities of the spice.
During the War of 1812, Russian soldiers placed whole allspice berries
in their boots to help prevent unpleasant odors and cold feet.
