Star anise

About

Illicium verum, commonly called Star anise, star aniseed, or Chinese star anise is a spice that closely resembles anise in flavor, obtained from the star-shaped pericarp of Illicium verum, a medium-sized native evergreen tree of northeast Vietnam and southwest China. The star shaped fruits are harvested just before ripening.

Aroma profile

Derived from this ingredient’s flavor compounds

aromatic×6

camphoraceous×6

fresh×5

camphor×5

camphoreous×5

mint×4

grassy×4

herbal×4

Taste profile

Derived from this ingredient's compounds · measured taste classes

bittersweet

Composition

60 compounds identified — cross-referenced scientific databases

(-)-alpha-muurolene(-)-jasmonoyl-l-isoleucine(-)-lactol (-)-lariciresinol (-)-maackiain (-)-maackiain-3-o-glucoside (-)-matairesinol (-)-medicarpin (-)-medicarpin-3-o-glucoside (-)-menthone (-)-phaseollidin (-)-pinoresinol (-)-sativan (-)-vestitol (+)-1(10),4-cadinadiene(+)-7-iso-jasmonate(+)-cis-abscisic aldehyde (+)-fenchone

Best pairings

Ranked across every axis at once: shared flavor chemistry, real-recipe co-use, novel-discovery, and nutrient synergy. Pairs agreeing on two or more axes lead.