anise

The name "anise" is derived via Old French from the Latin words {{Lang|la|anīsum}} or {{Lang|la|anēthum}} from Greek {{lang|el|ἄνηθον}} ánēthon referring to dill.{{cite dictionary |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0059:entry=anethum |title=ănēthum |last1= Lewis |first1= Charlton T. |last2= Short |first2= Charles |dictionary= A Latin Dictionary |publisher= Perseus Digital Library |date = 1879 }}{{cite web |date=2018 |title=Anise |url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/anise |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304055135/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/anise |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 4, 2018 |access-date=3 March 2018 |publisher=Oxford Dictionaries, Oxford University Press}}

An obsolete English word for anise is anet, also coming from anīsum.{{cite web| url = http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/7811| title = s.v. 'anise'}}

Anise is an herbaceous annual plant growing to {{convert|2|-|3|ft|cm|sigfig=1|abbr=off|order=flip}} or more. The leaves at the base of the plant are simple, {{convert|3/8|–|2|in|cm|sigfig=1|abbr=in|order=flip}} long and shallowly lobed, while leaves higher on the stems are feathery or lacy, pinnate, divided into numerous small leaflets.{{cite web |last1=Stephens |first1=James M. |date=April 1997 |title=Anise—Pimpinella anisum L. |url=https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/MV008 |website=AskIFAS |publisher=University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences |access-date=22 January 2023 |archive-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122073837/https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/MV008 |url-status=dead }}

Both leaves and flowers are produced in large, loose clusters. The flowers are either white or yellow, approximately {{convert|1/8|in|mm|0|order=flip|abbr=out}} in diameter, produced in dense umbels.

The fruit is a dry oblong and curved schizocarp, {{convert|1/6|–|1/4|in|mm|0|abbr=on|order=flip}} long, usually called "aniseed".{{cite web |url=http://gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com/engl/Pimp_ani.html |title=Anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) |last=Katzer |first=Gernot |date=9 September 1998 |website=Spice Pages |access-date=}}

{{gallery|mode=packed

|Gardenology.org-IMG 2834 rbgs11jan.jpg|Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney

|Aniseed held in hand.jpg|Fruits in hand for scale

|Aniseed p1160018.jpg|Fruits (aniseed)

|AniseSeeds.jpg|Close-up of fruits

|Anisi fructus - microscopy.jpg|Cross-section of fruit

}}

Anise is a food plant for the larvae of some Lepidoptera species (butterflies and moths), including the lime-speck pug and wormwood pug.{{Cite web |title=Aniseed - Cargo Handbook - the world's largest cargo transport guidelines website |url=https://cargohandbook.com/Aniseed |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=cargohandbook.com}}

Anise was first cultivated in Egypt and the Middle East, and was brought to Europe for its medicinal value.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} It has been cultivated in Egypt for approximately 4,000 years.{{Cite web |title=Anise Uses, Benefits & Side Effects - Drugs.com Herbal Database |url=https://www.drugs.com/npc/anise.html |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=Drugs.com |language=en}}

Anise plants grow best in light, fertile, well-drained soil. The seeds should be planted as soon as the ground warms up in spring. Because the plants have a taproot, they do not transplant well after being established so they should either be started in their final location or be transplanted while the seedlings are still small.{{Cite web |title=Tips for Transplanting Seedlings |url=https://www.almanac.com/tips-transplanting-seedlings |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=Almanac.com |language=en}}

Western cuisines have long used anise to flavor dishes, drinks, and candies. The word is used for both the species of herb and its licorice-like flavor. The most powerful flavor component of the essential oil of anise, anethole, is found in both anise and an unrelated spice indigenous to South China{{cite book|last=Peter|first=K. V.|title=Handbook of Herbs and Spices|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qUaT093PZFAC&pg=PA290|year=2004|publisher=Woodhead Publishing|isbn=978-1-85573-721-1|page=290}} called star anise (Illicium verum) widely used in South Asian, Southeast Asian and East Asian dishes. Star anise is considerably less expensive to produce and has gradually displaced P. anisum in Western markets. While formerly produced in larger quantities, by 1999 world production of the essential oil of anise was only 8 tons, compared to 400 tons of star anise.{{cite book |title=Food Flavorings |author=Philip R. Ashurst |publisher=Springer |year=1999 |page=33 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hrWuqmtwJiEC&q=anethole |isbn=978-0-8342-1621-1 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

As with all spices, the composition of anise varies considerably with origin and cultivation method. These are typical values for the main constituents.J.S. Pruthi: Spices and Condiments, New Delhi: National Book Trust (1976), p. 19.

:Moisture: 9–13%

:Protein: 18%

:Fatty oil: 8–23%

:Essential oil: 2–7%

:Starch: 5%

:N-free extract: 22–28%

:Crude fibre: 12–25%

In particular, the anise seeds products should also contain more than 0.2 milliliter volatile oil per 100 grams of spice.{{Cite web |last=Branch |first=Legislative Services |title=Consolidated federal laws of canada, Food and Drug Regulations |url=http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/C.R.C.,_c._870/page-36.html#h-70 |access-date=2018-07-19 |website=laws.justice.gc.ca |language=en}}

{{Cookbook}}File:Troach sweet - 2018-08-21 - Andy Mabbett.jpg in the English Midlands, where such sweets are traditional]]

Anise is sweet and aromatic, distinguished by its characteristic flavor. The seeds, whole or ground, are used for preparation of teas and tisanes{{cite web |title=Anise seed: Properties, benefits, mischief, dosage, and side effects |url=https://www.alwosta.tn/en/blog/128_anise-seed-properties-benefits-mischief-dosage-and-side-effects.html |website=Alwosta |access-date=2024-02-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925093445/https://www.alwosta.tn/en/blog/128_anise-seed-properties-benefits-mischief-dosage-and-side-effects.html |archive-date=2020-09-25}} (alone or in combination with other aromatic herbs), as well many regional and ethnic confectioneries, including black jelly beans (often marketed as licorice-flavored), British aniseed balls, aniseed twists{{Cite web|title=Favourite traditional British sweets: in pictures|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatpicturegalleries/9158591/Favourite-British-sweets-in-pictures.html|access-date=2021-05-23|website=www.telegraph.co.uk|date=4 November 2015 }} and "troach" drops, Australian humbugs, New Zealand aniseed wheels, Italian pizzelle and biscotti, German Pfeffernüsse and Springerle, Austrian Anisbögen, Dutch muisjes, New Mexican bizcochitos and Peruvian picarones.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

The culinary uses of anise are not limited only to sweets and confections, as it is a key ingredient in Mexican atole de anís and champurrado, which is similar to hot chocolate.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} In India and Pakistan, it is taken as a digestive after meals, used in brines in the Italian region of Apulia and as a flavoring agent in Italian sausage, pepperoni and other Italian processed meat products.{{cite book |last=Peter |first=K.V. |title=Handbook of herbs and spices Volume 2|date=2012|page=143}} The freshly chopped leaves are added to cheese spreads, dips or salads, while roots and stems impart a mild licorice flavor to soups and stews.

File:Anise alcohols Mediterranean map.svg]]

{{Further|Anisette|Mediterranean cuisine}}

Anise is used to flavour Greek {{lang|el|ouzo}} and Bulgarian {{lang|bg|mastika}}; Italian {{lang|it|sambuca}}; French {{lang|fr|absinthe}}, {{lang|fr|anisette}}, and {{lang|fr|pastis}};{{cite book |last1=Blocker |first1=Jack S. Jr. |last2=Fahey |first2=David M. |last3=Tyrrell |first3=Ian R. |title=Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History: An International Encyclopedia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BuzNzm-x0l8C&pg=PA478 |access-date=28 March 2013 |year=2003 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-57607-833-4 |pages=478–}} Portuguese {{lang|pt|anis}} which has an aniseed stem in each bottle crystallised with sugar, Spanish {{lang|es|anis de chinchón}},{{Cite web |last=admin |title=Chincon |url=https://www.mapa.gob.es/es/alimentacion/temas/calidad-diferenciada/dop-igp/bebi_espi/DOP_Chinchon.aspx |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=Chincon |language=es}} {{lang|es|anís}},{{cite book|last1=Zurdo |first1=David |last2=Gutiérrez|first2=Ángel |title=El libro de los licores de España |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5PnLWI0HMZcC&pg=PA50 |access-date=5 February 2013 |year=2004|publisher=Ediciones Robinbook |isbn=9788496054127 |page=50}} {{lang|es|anísado}}, and Herbs de Majorca;{{cite web |url=http://www.spain.info/en/que-quieres/gastronomia/productos/licor_de_hierbas_mallorquin.html |title=Majorcan herb liqueur in Spain |website=Spain.info |access-date=22 January 2018|date=2007-04-23 }} Turkish and Armenian {{lang|tr|rakı}}; Lebanese, Egyptian, Syrian, Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli {{Transliteration|ar|arak}};{{cite news |last1=Dealberto |first1=Clara |last2=Desrayaud |first2=Lea |title=Le pastis, elixir provencal |work=Le Monde |publisher=Le Monde |date=25 July 2017 |page=28}} and Algerian {{lang|fr|Anisette Cristal}}. Outside the Mediterranean region, it is found in Colombian {{lang|es|aguardiente}}{{Cite web|url=https://senselist.com/2006/10/20/16-anise-flavored-liquors/ |title=16 Anise-Flavored Liquors |website=SenseList |date=2006-10-20 |access-date=13 November 2017}} and Mexican {{lang|es|Xtabentún}}.{{Cite news |url=http://www.winemag.com/2012/02/29/exotic-mexican-spirit-xtabentun-makes-a-splash/ |title=Xtabentún Cocktail Guide, with Origins and Recipes |date=29 February 2012 |work=Wine Enthusiast Magazine |access-date=13 November 2017 |archive-date=27 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127011447/https://www.winemag.com/2012/02/29/exotic-mexican-spirit-xtabentun-makes-a-splash/ |url-status=dead }} These liqueurs are clear, but on addition of water become cloudy, a phenomenon known as the ouzo effect.{{cite journal |last=Sitnikova |first=Natalia L. |author2=Sprik, Rudolf |author3=Wegdam, Gerard |author4=Eiser, Erika |date=2005 |title=Spontaneously Formed trans-Anethol/Water/Alcohol Emulsions: Mechanism of Formation and Stability |journal=Langmuir |volume=21 |issue=16 |pages=7083–7089 |doi=10.1021/la046816l |pmid=16042427}}{{cite journal |last=Ganachaud |first=François |author2=Katz, Joseph L. |date=2005 |title=Nanoparticles and Nanocapsules Created Using the Ouzo Effect: Spontaneous Emulsification as an Alternative to Ultrasonic and High-Shear Devices |journal=ChemPhysChem |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=209–216 |doi=10.1002/cphc.200400527 |pmid=15751338}}

Anise is used together with other herbs and spices in some root beers, such as Virgil's in the United States.{{cite web |url=http://reedsinc.com/product/virgils-bavarian-nutmeg/ |title=Virgil's Bavarian Nutmeg |publisher=Reeds |access-date=May 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421064740/http://reedsinc.com/product/virgils-bavarian-nutmeg/ |archive-date=April 21, 2014 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.rootbeerreviews.com/brews/virgils.php |title=Virgil's Rootbeer – Spike's Root Beer Reviews and Ratings |publisher=Root Beer Reviews |access-date=May 12, 2014}}

The main use of anise in traditional European herbal medicine was for its carminative effect (reducing flatulence),{{sfn|Baynes|1878}} as noted by John Gerard in his Great Herball, an early encyclopedia of herbal medicine:

The seed wasteth and consumeth winde, and is good against belchings and upbraidings of the stomach, alaieth gripings of the belly, provoketh urine gently, maketh abundance of milke, and stirreth up bodily lust: it staieth the laske (diarrhea), and also the white flux (leukorrhea) in women.John Gerard, [http://caliban.mpiz-koeln.mpg.de/gerarde/high/IMG_0940.html The Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614030203/http://caliban.mpiz-koeln.mpg.de/gerarde/high/IMG_0940.html |date=2011-06-14 }}, 1597, p. 880, side 903

According to Pliny the Elder, anise was used as a cure for sleeplessness, chewed with alexanders and a little honey in the morning to freshen the breath, and, when mixed with wine, as a remedy for asp bites (N.H. 20.72).{{cite book|last=Pliny |others=translators John Bostock, Henry Riley |title=The Natural History of Pliny|publisher=Henry Bohn|location=London |year=1856|volume=4|pages=271–274|chapter=Book XX. Anise—sixty-one remedies|oclc=504358830}} In 19th-century medicine, anise was prepared as {{lang|la|aqua anisi}} ("Water of Anise") in doses of an ounce or more and as {{lang|la|spiritus anisi}} ("Spirit of Anise") in doses of 5–20 minims.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} In Turkish folk medicine, its seeds have been used as an appetite stimulant, tranquilizer or diuretic.Baytop, T. (1999) Therapy with medicinal plants in Turkey, Past and Present. Kitapevi, Istanbul, Turkey, 2nd edition, pp. 142.

File:AniseEssOil.png

Anise essential oil can be obtained from the fruits by either steam distillation or extraction using supercritical carbon dioxide.{{cite journal |last1=Pereira |first1=Camila G. |last2=Meireles |first2=M. Angela A. |date=September 2007 |title=Economic analysis of rosemary, fennel and anise essential oils obtained by supercritical fluid extraction |journal=Flavour and Fragrance Journal |volume=22 |issue=5 |pages=407–413 |doi=10.1002/ffj.1813}} The yield of essential oil is influenced by the growing conditions{{cite journal |last1=Zehtab-salmasi |first1=S. |last2=Javanshir |first2=A. |last3=Omidbaigi |first3=R. |last4=Alyari |first4=H. |last5=Ghassemi-golezani |first5=K. |date=May 2001 |title=Effects of water supply and sowing date on performance and essential oil production of anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) |journal=Acta Agronomica Hungarica |volume=49 |issue=1 |pages=75–81 |doi=10.1556/AAgr.49.2001.1.9 |doi-access=free}} and extraction process, with supercritical extraction being more efficient. Regardless of the method of isolation the main component of the oil is anethole (80–90%), with minor components including 4-anisaldehyde, estragole and pseudoisoeugenyl-2-methylbutyrates amongst others.{{cite journal |last1=Rodrigues |first1=Vera M. |last2=Rosa |first2=Paulo T. V. |last3=Marques |first3=Marcia O. M. |last4=Petenate |first4=Ademir J. |last5=Meireles |first5=M. Angela A. |date=March 2003 |title=Supercritical Extraction of Essential Oil from Aniseed using sCO₂: Solubility, Kinetics and Composition Data |journal=Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry |volume=51 |issue=6 |pages=1518–1523 |doi=10.1021/jf0257493 |pmid=12617576}} (Alternately found by Orav et al. 2008 to be 2–6% extracted oil by weight of raw seed material, 74–94% being trans-anethole and the remaining fraction estragole (methylchavicol), anisaldehyde and γ-himachalene.){{cite journal |last1=Sayed-Ahmad |first1=Bouchra |last2=Talou |first2=Thierry |last3=Saad |first3=Zeinab |last4=Hijazi |first4=Akram |last5=Merah |first5=Othmane |year=2017 |title=The Apiaceae: Ethnomedicinal family as source for industrial uses |url=https://oatao.univ-toulouse.fr/25145/1/Sayed_Ahmad_25145.pdf |journal=Industrial Crops and Products |publisher=Elsevier |volume=109 |pages=661–671 |doi=10.1016/j.indcrop.2017.09.027 |issn=0926-6690}} Anethole is responsible for anise's characteristic odor and flavor.Jodral, Manuel Miro. Illicium, Pimpinella and Foeniculum. CRC Press, 2004. pp. 205

Builders of steam locomotives in Britain incorporated capsules of aniseed oil into white metal plain bearings so the distinctive smell would give warning in case of overheating.{{cite journal |title=none |year=1953 |journal=The Railway Magazine|volume=99 |page=287}} Anise can be made into a liquid scent and is used for both drag hunting and fishing. It is put on fishing lures to attract fish.{{cite book |last=Collins |first=Tony |title=Encyclopedia of traditional British rural sports |publisher=Routledge |location=Abingdon, England |year=2005 |page=140 |isbn=978-0-415-35224-6}}{{cite book |last=Gabriel |first=Otto |author2=von Brandt, Andres |title=Fish catching methods of the world |publisher=Blackwell |location=Oxford, England |year=2005|edition=4|pages=153–4 |isbn=978-0-85238-280-6}}

{{clear}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite EB9 |mode=cs2 |wstitle=Anise |volume=2 |pages=57–58 }}
• {{cite EB1911 |mode=cs2 |wstitle=Anise |volume=2 |page=55}}

{{Edible Apiaceae}}

{{Herbs & spices}}

{{Medicinal herbs & fungi}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q28692}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Edible Apiaceae

Category:Flora of Malta

Category:Indian spices

Category:Medicinal plants of Africa

Category:Medicinal plants of Asia

Category:Medicinal plants of Europe

Category:Pimpinella

Category:Spices