allspice
Dried berries of the Pimenta dioica tree, used whole or ground. Despite the name, it's a single spice, not a blend -- its flavor evokes a combination of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg.
Buying guidance
Buy whole berries and grind as needed if you use it often -- like other ground spices, pre-ground allspice loses its aroma within about a year, while whole berries hold their punch much longer. A good jar smells sharp and warm, not dusty.
Substitutions
- A pinch each of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg -- approximates the flavor, since allspice is a single spice rather than a blend of these three; adjust the proportions to taste rather than measuring them equally.
Tips & common mistakes
Ground allspice is potent enough that a heaping rather than level spoonful can tip a dish toward tasting mostly of clove, since clove is the most assertive of the three flavors it evokes. Whole berries are usually simmered so their flavor infuses fully, then fished out before serving, the same way a cinnamon stick or whole cloves are.
Storage
Whole allspice berries keep their punch for a couple of years, dramatically longer than the ground form, because their aromatic oils stay locked inside the seed coat until it's broken. If a jar of ground allspice has been open a while, crush a whole berry and compare -- if the ground version smells flat next to it, it's time to replace it.