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In China and Vietnam, star anise is today grown almost exclusively in southern China, Indo-China, and Japan. It was first introduced into Europe in the seventeenth century. The oil, produced by a process of steam extraction, is substituted for European aniseed in commercial drinks.
Spice Description - Star anise is the unusual fruit of a small oriental tree. It is, as the name suggests, star shaped, radiating between five and ten pointed boat-shaped sections, about eight on average. These hard sections are seed pods. Tough skinned and rust colored, they measure up to 3cm (1-1/4") long. The fruit is picked before it can ripen, and dried. The stars are available whole, or ground to a red-brown powder.
Bouquet: Powerful and liquorice-like, more pungent and stronger than anise.
Flavor - Evocative of a bitter aniseed, of which flavor star anise is a harsher version. Nevertheless, the use of star anise ensures an authentic touch in the preparation of certain Chinese dishes. (Hotness Scale: 3)
Preparation and Storage - The whole stars can be added directly to the cooking pot; pieces are variously referred to as segments, points and sections. Otherwise, grind the whole stars as required. Small amounts are used, as the spice is powerful. Stored whole in airtight containers, it keeps for well over a year.
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Culinary Uses - Star 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 flavors marbled eggs, a decorative Chinese snacks. Mandarins with jaded palates chew the whole dried fruit habitually as a breath sweetener. In the West, star anise is added in fruit compotes and jams, and in the manufacture of anise-flavored liqueurs, the best known being anisette. It is an ingredient of the mixture known as "Chinese Five Spices”".
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