Welcome to the Celtnet Spice Guide. As this site has grown and many more recipes have been added it's become evident that a guide to the various herbs available to the cook is necessary. With spices becoming more commonly available and more exotic spices becoming available from all over the world it has become evident that some kind of guide or introduction to spices is necessary. These pages are an attempt at bringing all the various culinary spices together into one place so that you can see what's available and perhaps find something new to use in your own cooking. To use this Spice Guide simply click on the first letter of the herb name above or below. Alternativey why not just browse through the guide. All the spices given here, whether common or rare, can be obtained via your local supermarket (or more often via your local Asian supermarket) or via a specialist spice distributor.

This is the description page for Aniseed (Pimpinella anisum) and includes a description as well as an image, if available and a selection of recipes from this site that relates to the herb: Aniseed.

Aniseed (also known as Anise, Anís or Sweet Cumin) are the seed pods (fruit) of Pimpinella anisum a herbacious flowering plant of the Apiaceae (also known as Umbelliferae) family of flowering plants. As such it is a member of a huge family that contains carrots, parsley, cumin, caraway and fennel. The plant is native to the eastern Mediterranean and southwest Asia and grows to 50cm tall. The leaves at the base of the plant are simple, 2–5cm long and shallowly lobed, while leaves higher on the stems are feathery pinnate, divided into numerous leaflets. The flowers are white, 3 mm in diameter, produced in dense umbrella-like umbels. The seed-like fruit (generally referred to as aniseed) are dry oblong schizocarps (ie it develops from multiple carpels) that are usually 3–5 mm long. This can be lightly roasted to enhance the flavour and both whole seeds and ground seeds are used as a spice. Middle Eastern, Portuguese, German, Italian and French cuisines use anise in seasoning blends such as curry, hoisin, sausage and pepperoni seasonings. Crushed seeds are also often used in cakes and breads and are used to flavour stews and seafood dishes.

Aniseed is one of the classic 'sweet' spices and its aroms is sweet and very aromatic (somewhat reminiscent of the herb cicely). The major aromatic component of aniseed is trans-anethole, with additional notes provided by estragol, anise aldehyde, anise alcohol, p-methoxy-acetophenone, pinene, limonene and γ-himachalene. In most European languages the plant's name is derived from the Latin anisum which, in turn, is derived from the Greek anison [ἄνισον] or anneson [ἄννησον] by confusion with dill, which in Greek was known as aneton [ἄνητον].

This is a very versatile spice with a rather heady aroma which explains its versatility. Aniseed is also believed to be a substance that enhances lactation. In the West (and the Middle East), aniseed is most typically used to flavoure breads, cakes and most especially biscuits (cookies) is also used in anise-flavored liqueurs (such as raki, arak and ouzo) and is the dominant ingredient used in absinthe. A little aniseed may also be used to flavour some sausages. It is also used in the cuisines of North Inida and Mexico. It is also one of the components of the classic North African spice blend, Ras el Hanout.