Star anise

Star anise is, as the name suggests, a star-shaped spice consisting of the capsule and the seeds. The fresh, light green fruit has a diameter of approximately 3.5 cm and contains about eight compartments or follicles. Each consists of a carpel with a single seam, causing it to open on only one side, and contains one shiny, brown seed.

The fruit is picked when it is dark brown, before it is fully ripe, to prevent the seeds from falling off. After drying, the fruit leaf appears woody and rock-hard.

The fruits come from the true anise tree or Illicium verum, A ten to twenty meter tall tree with glossy, leathery leaves. It flowers twice a year. Our star anise comes from the mountainous and relatively cool Lang Son in Vietnam, the tree's natural habitat.

It bears fruit from March to April and from August to September. There are two harvests per year, each taking three to four months, because the fruit must be picked by hand as soon as it is sufficiently ripe.

Star anise is harvested starting from the fifth year. During its productive life, the tree yields an increasingly higher harvest, and the quality of the star anise also improves. Trees twenty to thirty years old produce the best star anise.

Our star anise is grown and harvested naturally, without the use of chemical fertilizers and/or pesticides.

A piece of history

Star anise arrived in the Arab world from China via India, where it found a place in Persian cuisine. It was not introduced to Europe until the sixteenth century. Europe became acquainted with star anise thanks to Thomas Cavendish, who brought the fruit from the Philippines to England in 1578. It would take some time before the first star anise could be purchased there. The first dried star anise went on sale in London in 1601.

Soon thereafter, star anise was imported from China via the tea routes through Russia. This is how star anise earned the nickname Siberian cardamom.

Nowadays, China and Vietnam are the main producing countries, but star anise is also grown in Laos, Korea, Japan, and the Philippines.

The Chinese name ba jiao 八角 means octagonal herb, which is exactly what it is, but in European languages, shape, taste, and country of origin are often combined. The name 'badian', which is also sometimes used, is derived from the Persian badiyan, which is said to be derived from the Chinese name ba jiao.

The botanical name Illicium is derived from Latin. Ilicere means allure and is a reference to the rich taste.

Scent and taste

Both the carpels and the seeds are aromatic; the carpel is more aromatic than the seeds. There is no reason to remove the seeds, unless you have the specific goal of intensifying the flavor of a single fruit.

Due to the high content trans-Star anise has a strong, sweet anise flavor thanks to anethol. Pure anethol is more than ten times sweeter than sugar. Star anise contains no sugars. Our Lang Son star anise contains over 70% essential oil, of which no less than 95-98% trans-anethol. You experience this immediately when the fruit absorbs moisture and releases its full aromas.

In addition to trans-anethol, the essential oil in star anise contains estragol (anise flavour) and limonene (orange flavour), both about 2%, and traces of α-pinene, p-cymene, eugenol, linalool, camphene and β-myrcene.

Common (Spanish) anise (Pimpinella anisum) contains just like star anise trans-anethol, and therefore has a similar taste, but is generally milder. Anise is not related to star anise.the same applies to fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), that likewise trans-contains anethol.

Usage

Star anise is inextricably linked to Chinese, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese cuisine. Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, star anise plays only a modest role; it is hardly used in Indonesian cuisine, and virtually not at all in Thai cuisine.

The star anise fruit is used ground or whole, as in red cooking, a Chinese cooking technique. When whole fruits are used, they are removed after preparation, as in the preparation of mulled wine and stewed pears.

The flavor profile of star anise is very similar to that of licorice and common anise, and combines well with tomato and basil.

Star anise is used in Italian liqueurs such as Galliano and Sambuca, in Absinthe and in the French Pastis, and in the following spice blends:

• thirteen spice (5-spice) (China)
• five-spice (China)
• garam masala (India)

Crushed star anise

In addition to the usual 'stars', we also sell crushed star anise. We did not intentionally break the stars, but every shipment does contain a broken portion. The taste is identical, perhaps even more intense; the breaking makes it easier to dose and makes it ideally suited for drinks, tea, and, just like the whole star, for soups such as pho and sauces.

Features:

• 100% dried fruit Illicium verum
  
• mostly whole star-shaped fruits *
• origin: Lang Son, Vietnam
  

Assortment

• available in glass (30 grams) and stand-up pouch (various weight classes)
• Please note: the jar with 45 grams of star anise contains crushed star anise
• larger quantities than shown on request

Save

• batch number **220
• best before September 2027 (09-2027)