Purchase

Aniseed is best purchased whole, as the ground powder quickly loses its flavour.

Storage

Whole aniseed keeps up to 3 years. Dry-roast aniseed to heighten their aroma and make them brittle and easy to crush. Store ground aniseed in a clean, dry jar and use within 6 months.

Culinary Use

• Aniseed has a wide range of culinary applications, both sweet and savoury.

• In the Middle East and India, aniseed is used in soups and stews, and various cuisines use aniseed in seasoning blends such as curry, hoisin, sausage and pepperoni seasonings.

• It is also used to compliment duck, pork or fish, either alone or sometimes in combination with cinnamon and bay leaves.

• All above-ground parts of the young aniseed plant can be eaten as a vegetable. The stems resemble those of celery in texture and have a much milder liquorice flavour than the seeds.

• Aniseed is also used whole or crushed in cakes, cookies, pastries, sweet breads and candy. Examples include aniseed balls (a favourite English sweet), Italian biscotti and Springerle, a German cookie with an embossed design which is traditionally aniseed-flavoured.

Serving Suggestions

• Make biscotti with walnuts, diced figs, and ground aniseed.

• Simmer carrots with a little sugar, butter, ground aniseed, salt, and pepper until tender.

• Toast aniseed in hot oil and pour over cooked lentils, Indian-style, as a fragrant, sizzling garnish.