A flavour rather than a plant — several unrelated species share the aniseed note, and they turn up in liquorice, spirits and spice blends across the world.
Where it comes from
The compound behind the flavour is anethole, and it evolved independently in plants that are not related to each other: anise seed is an umbellifer like carrot and parsley; star anise is a magnolia relative from China and Vietnam; fennel is another umbellifer; liquorice is a legume and gets its sweetness from a different compound altogether.
Star anise is one of the eight fruits in Chinese five-spice and a defining aroma of Vietnamese phở. Anise seed runs through Mediterranean baking and through the whole family of anise spirits — pastis, ouzo, raki, arak, sambuca — which turn cloudy with water because anethole is soluble in alcohol and not in water.
Varieties
- Star anise — Eight-pointed pod from a Chinese tree. Strong, warm, and used in savoury braises far more than in sweets.
- Anise seed — Small umbellifer seed. Sweeter and softer than star anise. Breads and biscuits around the Mediterranean.
- Fennel seed — Milder, greener, faintly sweet. Italian sausage, Indian spice blends, and eaten plain as a digestive.
- Liquorice root — A legume root, sweet through glycyrrhizin rather than sugar. Confectionery, and Chinese medicine and cooking.
- Chinese five-spice — Star anise, Sichuan pepper, cinnamon, clove and fennel. The star anise dominates.
In the kitchen
Star anise is powerful and one or two pods flavour a large pot. It is a savoury spice first — in a beef braise or a phở broth it reads as depth rather than as aniseed.
Anethole is fat- and alcohol-soluble, which is why anise flavours bloom in oil or spirit and stay muted in water.
Choosing and keeping
Japanese star anise is a different species, looks similar and is genuinely toxic. It has been found as an adulterant, which is a reason to buy from a source that knows the difference.
Liquorice root in quantity raises blood pressure and lowers potassium. This is a real effect, not a caution about sweets in general.
Dishes with anise
SambucaSweet anise liqueur served con la mosca, with three floating coffee beans.
MahiaMoroccan Jewish eau-de-vie distilled from figs or dates and flavoured with anise
BabboucheSpiced snail broth with thyme, aniseed and liquorice root, drunk from small bowls
Salmiakki KoskenkorvaJet-black vodka infused with salty liquorice, drunk ice cold
SousBitter-sweet liquorice root infusion served ice cold and foaming.
Buñuelos de anísFigure-eight fritters of yuca and boniato dough soaked in anise syrup
Arak eshkoliyotArak poured long over ice with fresh grapefruit juice, clouding milky white.
Rakianise spirit that turns milky with water; sipped slowly through a meze mealAnise is tagged on 32 dishes from 27 countries in the atlas. These notes are written from general knowledge and carry no per-fact citation — see About.