Anise, Star Anise, Anise Myrtle: What's the difference?
If you’ve had a licorice-flavored spirit, Italian sausage, or any other food where licorice is a prevalent flavor, you’ve likely tasted anise. But there’s also star anise and anise myrtle — are they all related?
Anise and star anise are often confused for the same thing. While they have similar flavor profiles because they both contain the essential oil anethole, anise seeds are small dried seeds, while star anise is a dried fruit from a tree.
Anise
Anise, a member of the parsley family, is a dried seed.
It is often used in sweet dishes due to its licorice-like flavor, although it is not related to licorice. It’s also found in savory dishes, like Italian sausage, where it shares a similar flavor profile with fennel.
If you’re looking for a way to use anise, try making biscotti.
Star Anise
Since you wouldn't use much star anise in your cooking, it's unlikely to provide significant nutritional value. However, that doesn’t mean it can't offer health benefits.
Star anise contains shikimic acid, a key ingredient in Tamiflu, a medication used to treat the flu. It has also been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries.
How can you use star anise in your cooking?
You might simmer it in broths, soups, pasta sauces, or braising liquids, removing it before eating. You can also use it ground in desserts, marmalades, compotes, and other sweet creations.
Ground star anise is a crucial component of Chinese Five Spice—along with cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, and fennel seeds. This blend offers a beautiful harmony of umami, sweet, sour, spicy, and bitter flavors, making it versatile for everything from barbecue to noodle dishes.
Star anise also pairs well with fruits like pears, plums, figs, and pineapple. If you're looking for an indulgent treat, try poached pears with star anise.
Anise Myrtle
Anise myrtle, though not related to anise, has a similar flavor and comes from a beautiful white-blossom tree native to the rainforests of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales in Australia.
Its leaves have been used as a vitalizing tonic, an energy-boosting concoction, a remedy for stomach aches, and are said to help support lactation. Anise myrtle leaves are notable for having the highest concentration of anethole, the essential oil mentioned earlier.
Anethole is a compound with potent antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. Additionally, anise myrtle leaves are rich in antioxidants, calcium, magnesium, vitamins A, C, and E, and lutein (the "eye vitamin"—a must for those with Sjögren’s).
Warndu offers a tea made with anise myrtle and quandong — a desert peach native to Australia that is highly concentrated in Vitamin C and was traditionally used to treat skin ailments, inflammation, and joint pain. This tea is a calming, slightly sweet beverage. I've used it a few times to help ease symptoms of heartburn or acid reflux, thanks to the licorice root-like qualities of anise myrtle.
While they share a common flavor profile thanks to anethole, anise, star anise, and anise myrtle each have unique qualities and purposes. If you're cooking, exploring new flavors, or looking for natural remedies, these ingredients offer a world of possibilities.
Happy Tasting!