Anise seeds are oblong or curved, comma shape, about 3-4 mm long, light brown in colour and with fine stripes over its outer surface. They are used as a spice, either ground or whole and feature a delicately sweet and aromatic bouquet with a distinctive liquorice flavour.
Is anise lanni or cumin?
In Seychelles this spice’s name got itself confused in translation. In Creole, the spice lanni is in fact cumin and not anise, the creole word for which I do not know! One of the reasons why I have included this spice in this section is to alert readers of this confusion. There is nothing worse than using anise seeds in your moulouk instead of cumin!
What Does It Taste Like?
Anise has a licorice flavour that is sweet, mildly spicy, and very aromatic. This flavour is produced by an organic compound called anethole. One key characteristic of anethole is that it is very soluble in alcohol but only slightly soluble in water. As a result, when you add water to liqueurs that contain anise extract, the drink turns cloudy. This is known as the ouzo effect after one of the characteristic anise-flavoured liqueurs.
Anise seeds lend a licorice flavour to any dish and the flavour may be heightened by gentle toasting the seeds. Although this spice is widely used in Middle Eastern, Italian, German, Indian, and Mexican cooking is is not at all popular in Seychelles where it is used in very small quantities in pilaf or plo. Although they are used in the preparation of sweet dishes in many Asian countries this is not the case in Seychelles.
Selection and storage
Dried as well as ground anise powder are readily available in grocery and food stores. Buy them in small quantities so that they would last for 3-4 months since they lose their flavour due to evaporation of essential oils. Fresh seeds should feature bright olive-green to grey-brown colour and give a rich aroma when rubbed between your index and thumb fingers. Avoid seeds that have broken tips or those of old stocks as they are deprived of essential oils and, therefore, inferior in quality.
Always store anise seeds and powdered anise in airtight containers; place in cool, dark place and use as early as possible since it loses its flavour rather quickly.
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