Anise

Where it comes from

Anise comes from Pimpinella anisum, a slender annual native to the eastern Mediterranean and southwest Asia. Spain, Turkey, Egypt, and Syria remain the primary producers. The plant looks much like coriander but yields a smaller, ridged seed.

Flavor & pairing

Anethole concentration in anise seed runs even higher than in fennel, producing a sharper, sweeter licorice hit. It complements pork, lamb, oranges, apples, and stone fruit, and forms the soul of nearly every Mediterranean anise liqueur.

How it’s used

Greek ouzo, French pastis, Turkish raki, and Italian sambuca all rely on anise seed for their cloudy lift. Italian bakers tuck the seeds into pizzelle, pane di anice, and biscotti. German Pfeffernüsse and Norwegian krumkake use it through the Christmas season. Middle Eastern bakers scatter the seeds over flatbreads.

Trade history

Pliny the Elder praised anise for its breath-sweetening power and its ability, when hung over the bed, to “keep evil dreams at bay.”