Illicium verum is a medium-sized evergreen tree native to South China and northeast Vietnam. In the older systematics it belonged to the Illiciaceae (Badianaceae) family, and it is now classified in the Schisandraceae. Anise and fennel belong to the family Apiaceae, while star anise belongs to the Schisandraceae. Star anise contains anethole, which also gives the unrelated plant anise its flavor. The name badian appears to come, through French badiane, from the Chinese name bājiǎo.
The fruit is star-shaped and reddish-brown, and consists of six to eight follicles arranged in a whorl. Each follicle is boat-shaped and holds one seed. The seeds are brown, smooth, shiny and brittle. Each part of the fruit carries an aromatic scent. The related Illicium anisatum has smaller fruits that do not form a regular star, and its fruit has a weaker odour.
China is the primary production country, followed by Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries. For commercial purposes the tree is widely cultivated in China, and also in Morocco, India, the Philippines, and some European countries, namely Spain, France, and Italy. Farmers in Guangxi, in southern China, harvest about 70 percent of the world's total output of the spice. Star anise seeds were first brought to Europe from the Philippines by the English sailor Thomas Cavendish in 1578. Star anise is considerably less expensive to produce than anise and has gradually displaced it in Western markets. In 1999, world production of the essential oil was 400 tons for star anise, against 8 tons for anise.
The dominant component of the essential oil obtained from the fruit is the phenylpropanoid trans-anethole. The average trans-anethole content of the oil is around 72-92%, and it depends on the extraction method. Other components include estragole (methyl chavicol, approximately 2%), limonene (approximately 2%), and cis-anethole (approximately 0.5%). The oil also contains monoterpenoids, among them α-pinene, linalool and camphene, and sesquiterpenoids, among them α-copaene and β-caryophyllene. Anethole is an aromatic, unsaturated ether and belongs to the class of phenylpropanoid compounds. The trans isomer is the more abundant one and the one preferred for use. Anethole is distinctly sweet, measuring 13 times sweeter than sugar. Anethole melts at 20 to 21 °C.
Star anise enhances the flavor of meat. It is an ingredient of the traditional five-spice powder of Chinese cooking and a major ingredient of phở, a Vietnamese noodle soup. In parts of the Indian subcontinent it is used as a spice in biryani and masala chai, and it appears in the French recipe of mulled wine. Steeped in coffee, it deepens and enriches the flavor. The flavor of the oil is very similar to anise seed or fennel oil, but stronger.
Star anise has been reported to yield 3% to 7% shikimic acid. Shikimic acid takes its name from the Japanese star anise, Illicium anisatum, from which it was first isolated in 1885. ISO 11178:1995 is a specification for the dried fruits of star anise.
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Related: Allspice · Alpinia · Anethole · Anise · Asafoetida · Baking Spices · Bay Leaf · Biryani
