Keisha Shakespeare-Blackmore, Staff Reporter
( L - R ) Pimento, Scotch bonnet pepper and Scallion
This week we conclude our series on herbs and spices with a look at pimento, Scotch bonnet pepper and scallion. There is a wide selection of herbs and spices to explore and we hope that you found this series useful.
Pimento
Pimento or allspice is the dried, unripe berry of the Pimenta dioica that belongs to the family Myrtaceae. It grows to a height of about nine metres (about 30 ft) and has aromatic, glossy green leaves and white flowers. The fruit, when dried, is widely used as a spice.
The pimento tree is indigenous to the Caribbean islands. It was found growing in Jamaica by early Spanish explorers who were quite impressed with the taste and aroma of the berries and the leaves. Pimento trees were later discovered in Cuba that presumably had been taken there by migratory birds that had eaten the berries. It has also been found in Mexico but it is Jamaica that has the longest history, having been in continuous production since the tree was identified in about the year 1509.
Pimento has many uses and is widely used in Jamaica in jerk chicken or pork. In fact, in Portland, the leaves of the pimento are used in the fire beneath the chicken or pork that is being jerk to give added flavour. It is also used in chicken salads, pasta, soups, fish, stewed beef, stewed peas, chicken, and rice and peas. And it is used in desserts such as baked apples, chocolate, gingerbread, pumpkin, and spice cakes.
The Scotch bonnet pepper (Capsicum chinense)
Scotch bonnet is a variety of chilli or chilli pepper, similar to, and of the same species as, the habanero. It is said to be the hottest pepper in the world. It is found mainly in the Caribbean islands. It is said that Scotch bonnet got its name from its shape that is similar to that of an old-fashioned Scottish bonnet. It is also said that they are the hottest peppers in the world. And it has a heat rating of 150,000 to 325,000 Scoville Units ( a method to measure the heat level in chilli pepper developed by a chemist, Wilbur Scoville in 1912)
The Scotch bonnet is often confused with the habanero, as they are closely related. They are a pale yellow-green maturing to yellow, orange or red and have bell-shaped squashed-looking ribbed pods. Scotch bonnets have a somewhat smoky apple-cherry and tomato flavour (if you are able to discern a flavour under all of that fiery heat). Scotch bonnets are grown mostly in Jamaica and Belize.
In Barbados they are called 'bonnie peppers' and they are a key ingredient in Lottie's Barbadian hot pepper sauces, while in Jamaica they are used in jerk chicken or pork and a favourite in curried goat. The whole green ones are usually added to rice and peas to add a rich flavour to it that most Jamaican has come to love. Though they are used in a large quantity in curried goat, eaten raw they are may cause dizziness, numbness of hands and cheeks, and severe heartburn.
Scallion
Scallion or as some people calls it eskellion is no stranger in Jamaican cooking. Though most Jamaicans use it in almost everything they cook, it is a popular 'pep up' for soups, meats and rice and peas.
The name "scallion" is applied to several members of the onion family including a distinct variety called scallion, immature onions (commonly called green onions), young leeks and sometimes the tops of young shallots. In each case the vegetable has a white base that has not fully developed into a bulb and green leaves that are long and straight. Both parts are edible.
True scallions are generally identified by the fact that the sides of the base are straight, whereas the others are usually slightly curved, showing the beginnings of a bulb. All can be used interchangeably although true scallions have a milder flavour than immature onions. Scallions are available year-round but are at their peak during spring and summer. Scallions can be cooked whole as a vegetable much as you would a leek. They can also be chopped and used in salads, soups and a multitude of other dishes for flavour.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scallion; www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/ caribbean/bonpepper.html -en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_bonnet; wwwchem.uwimona.edu.jm:1104/lectures/pimento.html; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pimento; www.encyclopedia.com
