Star Anise Whole

Star anise is the fruit of a small evergreen tree native to southwest China. The star-shaped fruits are picked just before ripening and dried before use. They contain the same essential oil as the botanically unrelated Spanish anise seed, which gives the two a nearly identical flavour - strong, sweet, and licoricey. Whole, perfect Star Anise are really quite a beautiful wonder of nature, with eight points and a seed in each point.