Native to the Caribbean, Central America, and Southern Mexico, allspice is the unripe fruit of Pimenta dioica, an evergreen shrub from the Myrtaceae family. Allspice is made by picking and drying the berries. Allspice is a versatile seasoning that complements nearly all recipes — from marinades and jerk rubs to desserts and hot mulled wine. 

Allspice has a wide variety of uses in foods. It can be used in both sweet and savory recipes, and many different cultural cuisines apply it lavishly to dress their dishes. It can be added to gravy that is served alongside your holiday turkey or ham. Pork roasts benefit from a marinade that includes garlic and this spice, and Caribbean jerk recipes for beef and chicken often call for it. Spice cookies utilize it to give the sweets a bit of a kick, and it often makes its way into spiced nuts, along with sugar that caramelizes the spices around the nuts.