Pimenta dioica - Allspice is derived from the unripened fruit of the Pimenta diocia tree. The berries are picked in late summer and traditionally dried in the sun. The dried fruit resembles a peppercorn as it changes from green to purple and then brown. The name allspice is derived from the taste of the spice; it has the flavor and smell of black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It is native to the West Indies and Central America, but can now be found throughout the tropical zones.
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The Taíno, an Arawak people, had immigrated to the Caribbean islands from South America and became the dominate ethnic group of several Caribbean islands. They were the principle inhabitants of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico, ruling these islands through small chiefdoms. The Taíno were in a state of constant war with their neighbors, the Caribs. The Taíno and Carib people were displaced as the dominate force in the Caribbean after the arrival of the Europeans in 1492.
