Aniseed
Aniseed or pimpinella comes from the Middle East but has become a native product to the countries of the Mediterranean. It is the fruit of the anise plant and has two half-fruits that are difficult to separate. The anise plant is in the parsley family.
Aniseed is used both as a spice and for medicinal purposes. It is one of the oldest spices and consists of essential oils as well as other ingredients, all of which have strong seasoning action. Full heavy fruits with a high content of essential oils make it a high quality product. Although the plant is only harvested from July to January, it is shipped all year. Long periods of storage can cause the loss of seasoning action.
Aniseed is customarily added to a wide variety of foods in whole or crushed form as a seasoning. Some of the foods that contain this aromatic fruit include cakes, candy, cheeses, cookies, breads, pickles, stews, fish, and shellfish. It is also one of the ingredients of root beer.
Aniseed is used in the making of confectionaries and baked goods as well as one of the ingredients of mixed spices. It is also used for aniseed tea and for flavoring some liquors such as anisette. It is both sweet and aromatic, with components that are similar to those of licorice. It is not, however, related to the plant from which licorice is cultivated. Some of its more common culinary uses include the following:
- Confectionaries aniseed balls and wheels
- Used in the Mexican drink atole and called champurrado, which is similar to hot chocolate
- Anise oil is used in the Italian cookie that is called pizzelles and in the frosting of Italian cake-like cookies that are called Drops or Anise Drops
- Norwegian candy pills called "Knott" are flavored with anise.
