THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 9, 1994 TAG: 9410070101
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, SPECIAL TO SUNDAY FLAVOR
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, whose discovery of America we commemorate Monday, may not have been the good guy we once assumed him to be. But at least he did a few things right.
For instance, he brought allspice back from the New World.
To Columbus and his crew, the leaves of the 35-foot evergreen that grew in the West Indies smelled like cloves but the berries looked like peppercorns, so the Spanish explorers called the new spice ``pimientia'' or pepper. That was a mistake, but a forgivable one.
In a hurry to make a return trip across the ocean with their treasures, they probably didn't take the time to sample the berry, which tastes nothing like pepper.
When the berry became widely used in Europe in the 17th century, it was conferred with a more accurate name, allspice, which described its flavor, a blend of three spices: cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.
This spice, which can be used in both sweet and savory dishes, is indeed all-league. Allspice is equally at home in a pumpkin pie and a curry powder. In America we think of it mainly as an ingredient in baked goods, but earlier in this century allspice was widely used in Europe for processing meats and fish.
Browse through a cookbook and you'll find that allspice is called for in the most unusual places. Recipes for ketchup, spaghetti or barbecue sauce might list ground allspice.
The whole berries are often used to flavor spiced ciders and punches, pickles, pot roasts, court-bouillon, stock for boiled beef, and the liquids used in pickled beets and other vegetables.
You'll even find this all-around spice at the drug store. Its oil is commonly used in men's cologne.
One of the spice's most popular contemporary uses is in a Jamaican ``jerk,'' a preparation native to the Caribbean island that produces the most and the best allspice in the world. A paste flavored with ground allspice berries is rubbed into pork, which is then marinated and barbecued.
Unfortunately, this versatile spice is all but forgotten in many home kitchens. A jar of allspice bought for one holiday season's gingerbread men may sit unopened until the next Christmas rolls around. Since ground allspice stays at peak flavor and freshness for just six months, the gingerbread will get a little bit duller with each passing year.
Home cooks are encouraged to open that jar more often, to experiment by adding a pinch or so of allspice to soups and stews. Since allspice blends well with most other spices, your daring may prove rewarding.
Whole berries will keep well for up to a year in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. When ground with a mortar and pestle, their taste is far more intense than the preground spice. Equal amounts of whole berries and peppercorns mixed in a peppermill can bring new life to the dinner table. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
JIM WALKER/Staff
by CNB