When most people think of spices, the likes of paprika and perhaps cinnamon come to mind. Not many will think of the more obscure spices such as allspice and juniper berries, but that doesn’t lessen their potential impact on your dish if you familiarise yourself with them.
Though they may not seem like it at first, allspice and juniper berries often get confused by those who haven’t used them before. Let us familiarise you with the unique tastes of allspice and juniper berries and examine whether they are that similar.
The varied use of allspice due to its noticeable sweetness in its aroma and taste separates it from juniper berries, which would not fare well in a sweet treat.
What is Allspice?
To most, allspice is recognisable as a light brown spice powder with an aroma that reminds you of spiced Christmas bakes, which is a great way to describe its taste, too.
Allspice is not a spice blend like its name suggests but is one type of spice sourced from dried berries, specifically those of the aptly named allspice tree, native to Jamaica.
The whole berry or clove is dried and sold in certain supermarkets or ingredient speciality stores, though they are far more expensive than ground allspice.
When the berries are ground into a powder, they lose some of their aromas, but their remaining smell and taste are reminiscent of other warm spices like cloves and cinnamon.
You will likely find allspice used in baking to add some warm, slight sweetness to bakes and cookies. But in Caribbean and Latin American cuisine, allspice is as commonly used in spice rubs and stews.
Allspice is a spice that tastes like a combination of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. It has a warm and spicy flavour with a hint of sweetness. It is commonly used in baking and savoury dishes such as stews, marinades, and sauces.
What are Juniper Berries?
It may seem a little odd initially to find a dried berry in the spice section when gathering your weekly shop, but dried juniper berries are vastly different from their fresh counterparts.
While fresh juniper berries remain juicy with a citrusy taste, sourced as seed cones from various juniper trees, dried juniper berries have a noticeably peppery, spicy taste with a hint of fruitiness and pine.
When discussing juniper berries in cooking, they are mostly seen as seasoning for meats with a distinctly gamey flavour, such as venison. However, dried juniper berries, in particular, are widely used in spice rub mixes, especially in European cuisine.
You are not likely to find juniper berries included in dessert recipes as their strong pine taste is hard to pair with sweeter flavours. That being said, those exact flavours make juniper berries such a relied-upon flavour for gin.
Juniper berries have a unique flavour that is often described as both piney and citrusy, with a hint of bitterness. They are commonly used in gin production, where their distinctive flavour is highly valued.
Similarities Between Allspice and Juniper Berries
It is difficult to draw similarities between allspice and juniper berries because they are fundamentally different ingredients. Though they do have a few similarities, such as:
Tree Grown Spices
Technically juniper berries are not true berries but cones of the juniper tree. The opposite is true of allspice, which is a berry.
However, these classifications do not affect their uses.
All you need to know is that allspice and juniper berries are spices grown and harvested from trees which in turn affects the final flavour of the spices.
Type Of Spices… Obviously
It should go without saying, really, that allspice and juniper berries are types of spices.
You will find them in some variety in the spice section of most large supermarkets, and you should treat them in your cooking the same as you would other spices.
Meat Uses
As spices, you will likely find allspice and juniper berries incorporated as part of a meat rub.
Their flavours may differ, but allspice and juniper berries have a strong enough taste individually to stand out as their own seasonings, helping to make the flavour of most meats more complex and exciting — especially when they are used in a rub before the meat is cooked as the flavours of the spices will become more apparent when cooked.
One famous example is jerk seasoning, where allspice is an essential ingredient.
Differences Between Allspice and Juniper Berries
The differences between allspice and juniper berries are not as varied as you would think, but it is their core characteristics that separate the two spices:
Sweeter Uses
Juniper berries are too piney in taste when both dried and fresh to include in sweet desserts or snacks.
It may be a different story if their taste were not so impactful and overwhelming, but it is too hard to balance the flavour of juniper berries with other common dessert ingredients.
Allspice doesn’t have this problem at all.
Yes, its warm spice is strong enough to be impactful, but it also has an equal amount of sweetness that makes it a natural pairing for sweeter recipes.
Gamey Pairings
Many people dismiss juniper berries as being too specific a flavour to be of any use, especially when compared to allspice.
However, the prominent piney flavour of juniper berries makes it a great pairing for strong, gamey meats that are otherwise quite hard to flavour effectively.
You will end up with a savoury finish, though the dish will feel much more luxurious as gamey meats are supposed to taste. The sweetness of allspice won’t live up to the gamey flavour of gamey meats and will become lost in the final taste.
Allspice vs Juniper Berries: Which Wins?
If you had to pick between these two spices or if you find you use one more than the other, then vote in our poll below so we can determine which wins when putting allspice vs juniper berries:
Do You Prefer Allspice or Juniper Berries?
Comparing Other Spices
The list of spices available in the supermarket is endless. But how do each of them compare? We’ve taken a look at many popular spices below:
Allspice and Juniper Berries FAQs
Do you have further questions about these two ingredients? Then check out these FAQs:
Allspice and juniper berries have different flavours, so it may not be the best idea to substitute one for the other. Allspice has a warm and spicy flavour with a hint of sweetness, while juniper berries have a piney and citrusy flavour with a hint of bitterness.
The best swap for allspice would be cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, This combination is often referred to as “pumpkin pie spice” and can be used as a substitute for allspice in sweet dishes such as pies, cakes, and cookies.
The best substitute for juniper berries is a combination of rosemary and black pepper. Rosemary has a similar piney flavor to juniper berries and black pepper can add a hint of spiciness. This combination can be used in marinades, sauces, and rubs for meats, particularly game meats such as venison.
Acacia may be a freelance writer by day, but they are a food fanatic by night. They are always trying out new recipes or finding different ways to elevate classical dishes. But their biggest culinary aim is to educate others on the basics of the kitchen so that they too can enjoy delicious food.
