Star Anise

A staple in Chinese and Vietnamese cooking, this beautiful spice is the sun-dried fruit of a member of the magnolia family native to those countries. The fruit, an eight-pointed star in which the carpels provide most of the flavour and aroma, imparts a delicate fragrance and a pronounced sweet liquorice flavour. Star anise, unrelated to anise, is usually sold whole or sometimes as broken pieces and is an essential ingredient in Chinese Five-spice Powder. It is regarded in Asia as promoting good digestion and as a breath freshener. Available: widely.