Allspice Berries - Whole
Allspice Berries - Whole
No Salt, No Sugar, No Preservatives
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Reach for whole allspice berries when a dish simmers long and slow and you want clean, warm aromatics you can fish back out at the end: mulled wine and hot cider, a pickling brine, a pot of braised cabbage or beans, a shrimp boil, a holiday borscht. One berry tastes like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg at once, with a peppery edge underneath, and dropped into liquid whole it releases all of that without clouding the pot or leaving grit behind.
Whole is the form that keeps. Ground spices fade within months, but whole berries hold their aromatic oils for years, so you crack or grind only what you need, when you need it, and the flavor is brighter for it. These come from the dried berry of the pimenta tree, the same single berry behind Jamaican jerk and Scandinavian holiday cooking. Crack one with the flat of a knife and the aroma tells you immediately why the fresh whole berry beats anything pre-ground.
Whole berries, packed fresh. No salt, sugar, or fillers.
Common Questions
Whole berries or ground, which should I buy?
Whole berries or ground, which should I buy?
Whole for anything wet and slow (cider, mulled wine, brines, stocks, braises) where you want to steep and remove the berries, and for grinding fresh to order. Ground is for baking and quick dishes where it needs to blend right in. Whole berries keep their flavor far longer, so many cooks buy whole and grind small amounts as needed.
Do I take the berries out before serving?
Do I take the berries out before serving?
Yes, treat them like bay leaves. Whole allspice does not soften, and biting into one is an intense, mouth-numbing surprise. Add them loose and fish them out, or tie them in a small cloth or tea ball so removal is easy. Counting them in and back out is the simple habit.
How do I grind them at home?
How do I grind them at home?
A few seconds in a spice grinder or a few firm cracks in a mortar and pestle. Two cautions from experienced cooks: the berries are hard and oil-rich, so they can gum up fine burr grinders, and their oils can permanently scent a plastic-lidded grinder. A dedicated spice grinder or a mortar is ideal. You rarely need much, since fresh-ground is potent.
Can I use whole allspice for jerk without a smoker?
Can I use whole allspice for jerk without a smoker?
This is the berry's best-kept trick. Authentic Jamaican jerk gets its aroma from pimento (allspice) wood, which is hard to find. Soak a handful of whole berries in water, wrap them in a foil pouch with holes poked in it, and set it over your charcoal or gas grill. As they smolder they perfume the meat with that signature jerk aroma. A bed of bay leaves under the meat adds to the effect.
How many berries equal ground allspice?
How many berries equal ground allspice?
Roughly five or six whole berries ground down make about a teaspoon of ground allspice. For a pot of cider or a brine, most cooks just add five to eight berries whole and adjust to taste next time.
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Allspice Berries - Whole
$12.00