Cooking is not without inaccuracies, misconceptions and stereotypes. Many amateur cooks who are also owners of Internet resources, when talking about anise spice, can publish an image of another spice - star anise. Indeed, on various culinary resources, star anise is often called star anise. Despite the similarity of names, it should be noted that these are two fundamentally different types of plants. The use of both spices has a different culinary focus, as they differ in taste characteristics. Both spices came from different regions and began to be used at different times.
And so - star anise and anise, what's the difference? To begin with, it should be said that anise originates in Asia Minor and Egypt, and such a spice as star anise originated from the regions of India and China. The main difference between star anise and anise is, first of all, the appearance. Anise is an herbaceous plant no more than 60 cm high, has a wavy stem with vertical grooves, and anise seeds themselves grow in dill-like umbrellas. Star anise is a tree, and star anise seeds, which are used in cooking, grow in inflorescences that look like a star, hence another name for star anise - star anise.
The use of these two, similar in name, types of spices - star anise and anise in cooking is similar, but has its own differences. Both spices can be used in the manufacture of various types of seasonings. Star anise, like anise, can be used both in recipes for meat dishes, and in the confectionery industry, when baking. However, anise leaves are used as a preparation for salads and other dishes, and in the case of star anise, only its seeds are used. Both types of spices provide for the use in a wide range of dishes of different directions and different cuisines, however, anise is more suitable for use in meat dishes, various salads, and much less often in confectionery. Star anise, on the contrary, is a favorite spice of confectioners and bakers. There are so many similarities in these spices that they are close in taste, but star anise has a richer taste with a lot of different shades.
The only type of human activity that makes it possible to say that anise and star anise are one and the same is medicine. Anise and star anise have almost the same medicinal properties. Both spices have a therapeutic effect on the same organ systems, with the same diseases. This is the treatment of colds, flu, and diseases of the digestive system. In general, both spices have antiviral, immunostimulating activity.