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pimento

 
(pĭ-mĕn') pronunciation
n., pl., -tos.
  1. See allspice.
  2. Variant of pimiento.

[Spanish pimiento, red or green pepper, pepper plant, from pimienta, black pepper, pepper fruit, from Late Latin pigmenta, pl. of pigmentum, vegetable juice, condiment, pigment, from Latin, pigment, from pingere, to paint.]


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A type of pepper, Capsicum annuum, grown for its thick, sweet-fleshed red fruit. A member of the plant order Polemoniales, pimento is of American origin, and gets its name from the Spanish word designating all sweet peppers. In the United States, however, the term pimento generally refers to the heart-shaped varieties (cultivars) grown for canning and used for stuffing olives and flavoring foods. Georgia is the only important pimento-producing state. See also Pepper; Solanales.


pimento or allspice, common names for a tree (Pimenta dioica or P. officinalis) of the family Myrtaceae (myrtle family) cultivated in the West Indies for its dried unripe berries, used medicinally and as a spice (also called pimento or allspice). The spice supposedly combines the flavors of several other spices, hence the name; it is used chiefly in pickles and relishes. The leaves and berries yield an essential oil used for flavoring, e.g., in Benedictine and other liqueurs. In America the names pimento and allspice are also applied to plants of other families: pimento to the large, sweet Spanish pepper (Span. pimento) of the nightshade family, and allspice to several aromatic shrubs, e.g., the Carolina allspice (Calycanthus floridus), a cultivated ornamental, and the wild allspice, or spicebush (Lindera benzoin), of the family Lauraceae (laurel family). Pimento is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Myrtales, family Myrtaceae.


Word Tutor:

pimento

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A sweet pepper with a thick flesh and a mild flavor that is often pickled and used in salads.

pronunciation The potato salad recipe called for pimentos, olives and pickles.

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Source: Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr. (syn. P. officinalis Lindl.; Eugenia Pimenta DC.) (Family Myrtaceae).

Common/vernacular names: Allspice, Jamaica pepper, pimenta, and pimento.

Pimenta dioica, the source of allspice, is a neotropical tree 8–20 m high, with opposite, leathery, oblong leaves 5–15 cm long; fruit globose, about 6 mm in diameter; native to the West Indies, Central America, and Mexico. Part used is the dried, full-grown but unripe fruit; leaves are also used. Major producers include Jamaica and Cuba; also grown in India.

West Indian allspice berries are smaller than Central American and Mexican berries, but they have stronger and smoother flavor. The relatively harsher flavor and aroma of Central American and Mexican berries are due to their relatively high content of monoterpene hydrocarbons, especially myrcene, in their essential oil.

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  See crossword solutions for the clue Pimento.
Pimento

Pickled cherry peppers
Heat Mild

A pimento or cherry pepper is a variety of large, red, heart-shaped chili pepper (Capsicum annuum) that measures 3 to 4 inches (7 to 10 cm) long and 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7 cm) wide (medium, elongate). The flesh of the pimento is sweet, succulent and more aromatic than that of the red bell pepper. Some varieties of the pimento type are hot, including the Floral Gem and Santa Fe Grande varieties. "Pimiento" is the Spanish word. "Pimento" or "pimentão" are Portuguese words for "bell pepper", while "pimenta" refers both to chili peppers and to black peppercorns. It is typically used fresh, or pickled and jarred. The pimento has one of the lowest Scoville scale ratings of any chili pepper.

Contents

Stuffing

Green Spanish olives stuffed with pimento visible

These sweet pimento peppers are also the familiar red stuffing found in prepared Spanish green olives. The pimento was originally hand cut into small pieces and hand stuffed in olives to complement the strong flavor of the olive; however, this method was very time intensive. In the industrial era the cut pimento was shot via hydraulic pump through the olive getting rid of the pit.

For ease of production,[1] pimento is sometimes puréed and formed with the help of a natural gum (such as sodium alginate or guar gum) into strips. This allows the olive stuffing to be completed by a machine, lowering the cost of production. However, guar (an annual legume mostly produced in India) may inadvertently make the olives less accessible to consumers with peanut allergies, as those individuals may have a cross-reaction to the guar. This leaves sodium alginate as a more universal choice.

Other uses

Pimentos are commonly used for making pimento cheese, a sandwich filling in the Southern United States and the Philippines. Also used for making pimento loaf.

See also

References

  • Webster's Dictionary of the English Language - Unabridged Encyclopedic Edition, Publishers International Press, New York, 1977.
  1. ^ Patent description of stuffing manufacturing.

Translations:

Pimento

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - piment, allehånde

Nederlands (Dutch)
piment(boom), (rode) paprika

Français (French)
n. - piment doux, piment de la Jamaïque, pimenta (arbre)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Pimentbaum, Nelkenpfeffer

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φυτολ.) αγριοκανέλα, ψευδοκινάμωμο

Italiano (Italian)
pimento

Português (Portuguese)
n. - pimentão-doce (f)

Русский (Russian)
душистый перец

Español (Spanish)
n. - pimienta de Jamaica, pimiento morrón

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - pimento, kryddpeppar

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
红色柿子椒, 多香果

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 紅色柿子椒, 多香果

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 피멘토나무, 그 열매로 만든 향신료

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ピーマン, スペイントウガラシ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) البيمنت : فلفل حلو‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פימנטו (מין פלפל)‬


 
 
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American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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