Anise Seed

Anise Seed: History and Complete Culinary Guide

Anise (Pimpinella anisum) is an ancient Mediterranean herb whose seeds (technically small fruits) are one of the oldest cultivated flavourings, used in Egyptian, Greek, and Roman cooking and medicine for at least three thousand years. Anise seeds are dominated by anethole — a phenylpropanoid compound that gives a characteristic sweet, liquorice-like flavour shared with several other botanically unrelated plants: star anise, fennel, liquorice root, and tarragon all contain significant anethole. This convergent evolution explains why these plants' flavours seem related despite their botanical distance. Anise seed is used in European baking (anise biscuits and breads in Germany, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, and Italy), in liqueurs (Pernod, pastis, ouzo, sambuca, and anisette all use anise-family flavourings), and in Middle Eastern cooking. Anis del Mono in Spain, raki in Turkey, arak in the Levant, and Herbsaint in New Orleans all share the anethole profile.

Culinary Uses

Use anise seeds in biscotti, in German Springerle cookies, in Italian taralli, in Dutch anise-flavoured breads, and in Middle Eastern spice blends. Add whole seeds to mulled wine and spiced cordials. Use in fish preparations — anise has a particular affinity for seafood and appears in classic French bouillabaisse seasonings and in pastis-flambéed mussel preparations. Distinguish from star anise (a different plant from China, though sharing the anethole character) — they can substitute for each other in many recipes with adjustment for potency (star anise is stronger).