The name pimento originates from the Spanish word pimienta, meaning pepper or peppercorn. It is a species in the Myrtaceae family and belongs to the same genus as Pimenta racemosa, also known as West Indian Bay, whose leaves are used to make Bay Rum.
Pimento is commonly known as "allspice" — a name given because it carries the combined aroma of several spices, including clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and pepper. Around 1621, the British began calling it "allspice" due to this unique scent. In Jamaica, spices have always played an important role in the culinary arts — from adding flavor, curing, and preserving food, to adding color and contributing to folk medicine.
Potential Health Benefits
- Indigestion: Helps soothe the digestive tract.
- Muscle Aches: Applied topically as a paste to relieve tension.
- Antioxidants: Rich in compounds that may reduce chronic disease risk.
- Anti-inflammatory: Currently studied for effects on hypertension and cancer.
The pimento tree is indigenous to the Caribbean and was found growing wild in Jamaica by Spanish explorers in the 1500s, who mistook it for pepper. At the time, spices were as valuable as gold. The Spanish attempted to cultivate pimento in other colonies without much success. It was not until the British era that a successful commercial crop was established in Jamaica.