Spices · Agriculture · 8 min read

Star Anise: the Eight-Pointed Spice

The star of biryani and five-spice powder comes from the hills of southern China and Vietnam, not from Kerala. Its cultivation, processing, trade through Kerala's spice markets, composition, uses and a vital warning about its poisonous look-alike.

By GK Global, Adimali, Munnar · Trails & Tales by GK

Star anise is perhaps the most beautiful of spices: a hard, rust-brown, eight-pointed star, each point a little boat holding a single shiny seed. It tastes sweetly of liquorice and aniseed, and it is the signature of Chinese five-spice powder, Vietnamese pho and, in India, of biryani and garam masala. Unlike the other spices in our series, star anise is not grown commercially in Kerala: almost all of the star anise used in India is imported, mainly from China and Vietnam. It is part of the story of Kerala's spice trade, though, and its traders in Kochi and the spice shops of Idukki's towns sell it alongside the spices of the hills.

History

Star anise has been used in Chinese cooking and medicine for thousands of years. It reached Europe by sea in the late 16th century, and was traded along the tea routes through Russia. Its sweet, anise-like flavour made it popular for liqueurs and confectionery in Europe, while in India it became an essential part of the rich spice blends of Mughlai and Hyderabadi cooking.

How star anise is grown

• Climate: star anise needs a humid subtropical climate with cool winters, heavy rainfall and acidic, well-drained soil, typically in the hills of southern China and northern Vietnam, at a few hundred to about 1,000 m.
• Growth: trees are raised from seed and begin to fruit after about 6 years, bearing for many decades. They can grow 8 to 15 m tall.
• Harvest: fruits are picked green, before they ripen and split, usually twice a year, in spring and autumn.
• Processing: the green fruits are briefly scalded in boiling water, then sun-dried for several days until they turn reddish-brown and hard.

Grading and trade

Star anise is graded by the proportion of whole, unbroken stars, size, colour, aroma and moisture. "Autumn" crop stars, plump and reddish, are usually preferred. Broken stars and pieces are sold for grinding and oil distillation. China and Vietnam supply the world market; India imports thousands of tonnes a year for its spice blends, food industry and pharmaceutical uses, much of it through Kochi, Chennai and Mumbai.

A vital warning: Japanese star anise

A related tree, Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum), produces similar-looking stars that are toxic, containing anisatin, which can cause seizures and other serious effects. It is used as incense in Japan, not as food. Contamination of star anise with Japanese star anise has caused poisoning, especially in herbal teas. Buy star anise only from reliable food suppliers, and do not make strong star anise teas for babies.

Composition and nutrition

Star anise is used in tiny amounts, so its nutritional contribution is small. Its essential oil, about 2.5 to 3.5 percent of the dried fruit, is 80 to 90 percent trans-anethole, which gives the liquorice-like sweetness. The fruit is also the main commercial source of shikimic acid, the starting material used to make the antiviral medicine oseltamivir (Tamiflu).

Traditional medicine

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, star anise is used to warm the body, relieve cold, colic and digestive pain. In India it is known in Unani medicine as badiyan khatai, and it is used in some Ayurvedic and Unani preparations for digestion and cough, though it is not a classical Ayurvedic herb. In Kerala, it is often added to spiced teas and remedies for colds.

These are traditional uses. Spices are safe in normal food amounts; anyone thinking of using them as medicine, especially in pregnancy, while taking other medicines or for a child, should ask a qualified doctor.

Uses

• Kitchen: biryani, pulao, garam masala, meat curries, Chinese five-spice powder, Vietnamese pho, braised meats, poached fruits, masala chai and mulled wine.
• Drinks: anise-flavoured liqueurs and spirits such as pastis, sambuca and anisette often use star anise oil.
• Pharmaceuticals: shikimic acid for oseltamivir; anethole in cough syrups and lozenges.
• Confectionery and oral care: sweets, chewing gum, toothpastes and mouth fresheners.
• Perfumery: anethole in soaps, perfumes and toiletries.