Aniseed Star (Star Anise)
Aniseed Star or Star Anise is similar in flavour to Anise. This licorice like spice is used today as a cheaper form of anise and is used commercially to flavour several drinks notably Galliano. The spice gets its name from the star like shape of the fruit which contains several oily seeds.
It is widely used in Chinese cuisine - it is an essential ingredient in Chinese Five Spice, and to a lesser degree in South Asian and Indonesian cooking.
Star Aniseed pieces are often chewed after spicy meals as the oils contain a digestive aid and sweeten the breath. Aniseed Stars are famous for their antibacterial and health giving properties and have been used for centuries in Chinese medicine. A tea can be made as a treatment for colic and rheumatism. In 2005 there was a world wide shortage of Star Anise as the shikimic acid found in these seeds was the active ingredient in the Bird Flu drug Tamiflu.
Culinary UsesStar anise is used in the East as aniseed is in the West. Apart from its use in sweetmeats and confectionery, where sweeteners must be added, it contributes to meat and poultry dishes, combining especially well with pork and duck. In Chinese red cooking, where the ingredients are simmered for a lengthy period in dark soy sauce, star anise is nearly always added to beef and chicken dishes. Chinese stocks and soups very often contain the spice.. It flavours marbled eggs, a decorative Chinese hors d’oeuvre or snack. Mandarins with jaded palates chewed the whole dried fruit habitually as a post-prandial digestant and breath sweetener - an oriental comfit.
In the West, star anise is added in fruit compotes and jams, and in the manufacture of anise-flavoured liqueurs, the best known being anisette. It is an ingredient of the mixture known as Chinese Five Spices.
IngredientsWhole Aniseed Stars.
Nutrition / Allergen InformationSuitable for vegetarians
Gluten Free
Country of OriginChina
