Allspice (Pimenta officinalis) is the dried, unripe fruit of a very beautiful evergreen tree, the Pimenta karst, which belongs to the myrtle, Myrtaceae, family. The trees grow from 20 to 40 feet high, and are native to the West Indies and Central America. They are extensively cultivated on the island of Jamaica. Mexico cultivates allspice for export also, but the fruit is not of such high quality as that grown in the West Indies. Attempts to grow the trees in the East Indies have failed; so allspice remains the one major spice produced exclusively in the western hemisphere. This dried, hard berry has a fragrant, aromatic, pungent taste like a mixture of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It is this combination of flavors which gave the spice its popular name of allspice. Ground allspice is used to flavor cakes, canned foods, catsup, chutneys, jams, jellies, mincemeat, pickles, puddings, relishes, and spiced fruits. It is also an ingredient in practically all blended spice combinations. Its aromatic fragrance lends flavor to many different sausage seasonings and to practically all pastry and poultry blends. The popular West Indian cordial, Pimento Dram, is allspice flavored. Many cake and pie recipes call for allspice, but it is also an unusually delicious flavoring for eggs, meats, and vegetables. Both the ground and the whole allspice may be used. The whole allspice gives a wonderful tang to pea soup if just 2 or 3 berries are added to the ingredients. When steaming or boiling fish and shellfish, 3 or 4 berries tied in with a bouquet garni of parsley, thyme, and bay leaves will add a most intriguing flavor. Sauces, meats, game, and certain sweet vegetables, such as carrots and eggplant, become something extraordinary when flavored with allspice. The whole berries are also used to flavor vinegars, and most pickling spices contain them.

Source: Miloradovich, Milo (1950). Cooking with Herbs and Spices. New York: Dover; pp. 200-201.