Since the dawn of Chinese culinary traditions, such a spice as star anise has become widespread. In the wild, star anise is a tree that bears fruit with seeds. Star anise flowers are yellow or purple. The star anise spice itself grows and matures in boxes that repeat the shape of a star. Due to this factor, star anise is called star anise, and also because its taste is very similar to anise. Culinary sources, attaching a photo of star anise, show it in the corresponding star-shaped boxes. The well-known encyclopedia Wikipedia offers a photo of a spice already ripe and ready for use, as well as an anise flower. Star anise also goes on sale in its natural "star" packaging.
The main areas in the modern world that have adopted the use of star anise are cooking, medicine, as a rule, non-traditional, and the alcohol industry. The culinary niche, in turn, uses star anise as a separate spice, at the same time, it can be included in various types of seasonings in combination with other spices and spices. How star anise is used in cooking depends on the regions in which it is used. China and the countries of the East use star anise in recipes for meat dishes. Europe has found the use of this spice in recipes for sweets, pastries, festive dishes and drinks.
The recipe for Peking duck, famous in Chinese cooking, traditionally uses star anise from the moment the dish was born to the present day, in combination with other spices and spices. The European culinary tradition involves the production of various soft drinks that use star anise and cinnamon. The most common drinks represented by English cuisine are lemonade and tea with the addition of cinnamon and star anise.
The taste of star anise can be characterized as follows - burning, spicy and peculiar, which is why it harmonizes well with such spices as ginger, cinnamon, etc. To a large extent, star anise is similar in taste to anise, due to which they are often confused, and in some cases replaced with one another.
For medicine, the properties of star anise did not go unnoticed. Star anise is famous for the following beneficial properties - anti-inflammatory action, it helps to get rid of depression, put thoughts in order, and also has an antispasmodic effect. Star anise becomes useful due to the content of essential oil in the seeds. Star anise essential oil can be used in the production of soaps, perfumes, toothpastes, but the concentration of star anise oil there is less than one percent. The low concentration of star anise oil is due to its strong effect, which can be harmful to health.
In general, star anise or star anise is very popular in many culinary directions. Star anise has a lot of useful properties, thanks to which it has proven itself in medicine, both traditional and folk. Similarly, star anise has become a good spice and the basis for the production of condiments and other things.