Allspice allspice

Writes Tomás Franco. Author of Manual for Spices

The tree that produces jaimacan pepper It is native to the West Indies, Central and South America. Today it is distributed throughout the temperate zones of the world, with the main producers in Central America, mainly Jamaica and Mexico. Next we will tell you everything about this spice, in addition to proposing a recipe with it.

La jaimacan pepper are the immature and dried fruits of the tropical tree Pepper dioecious L. of the family Myrtaceae. In reality, it is not a true pepper, although it may appear so from its appearance. It has a very pleasant aroma with a mild flavor and a little spicy. It reminds of a mixture of cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper, hence its name in English of allspice. Even in some areas it is known as allspice.

It is born from a large evergreen tree that is 6 to 12 meters high. The leaves are thick and elongated, with the entire edge and a dark green color. Small clusters of white flowersFollowed by green berries at the beginning and red when ripe.

When the berries are still green, and just before they ripen, they are harvested by hand. They are then dried on platforms in the sun for five to ten days. During this drying the color changes from green to dark reddish-brown, with an average size of 5 to 9 millimeters. The surface is a little rough and it bears the mark of a small button formed by the remains of the four sepals of the chalice.

Nutritional composition

Allspice in the kitchen

Allspice is used in both sweet and savory dishes. Whole grains are used for slow cooker foods such as soups, stews, and marinades. Ground is used to marinate meat and fish, seafood, curry dishes, rice, ham, patés and sweet vegetables. It is particularly useful for the lamb, to which it imparts a very special aroma, as in the case of the roasted game meat.

In the sausage industry it is used for sausages, canned meats, preserves and to flavor ketchup. Also for cakes, fruit tarts, cakes, jams, cookies, custard and milk and chocolate pudding. And even in the manufacture of spirits and alcoholic beverages or flavored hot wines.

Lamb stuffed with allspice

To taste the pleasant aroma of the jaimacan pepper nothing better than a recipe with a tasty stuffed lamb:

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons chopped onion
• 60 grams of butter
• 90 g of bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 2 tablespoons grated orange rind
• 1 tablespoon of fine herbs
• 1 beaten egg
• shawl
• 1 kg of boneless lamb
• 2 tablespoons ground allspice
• the juice of an orange

Preparation of the filling:

• Lightly fry the chopped onion with half the butter (30 gr).
• Remove from the heat and add the breadcrumbs, raisins, grated orange rind and herbs.
• Add the beaten egg and salt.

Meat preparation:

• Place the filling on the lamb meat, roll up and tie.
• Spread the meat with the other 30 g of butter.
• Sprinkle with the ground allspice.
• Place in a baking dish and pour the orange juice.
• Put in the oven over moderate heat for about 50 minutes.

This particular spice is an ally of the health, acting as a good carminative to prevent and help in the expulsion of gases. Due to its content in eugenol can be considered as a local antiseptic, which acts as a stimulant and tonic in the gastrointestinal tract and digestive system.

Ultimately, all these are the characteristics of the jaimacan pepper. Now that you know it a little more, do you dare to add it to your dishes?