Description
Aniseed is an annual plant with an
average height of 30 to 50 cm. The
plant is completely covered with fine
hairs. Aniseed is ground-grey to greyish
brown in colour,3 to 5mm in length,
oval in shape with short stalk attached.
Five longitudinal ridges are visible
on each pericarp. Vittae (oil ducts)
are almost always present embedded
in the fruit wall beneath the ridges.
It has a characteristic agreeable
odour and a pleasant aromatic taste.
Origin and
Distribution
It
is a native of East Mediterranean Region.
It is widely cultivated in Bulgaria,
Cyprus, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico,
South America, Syria, Turkey, Spain,
UK and USSR. In India, it is grown to
a small extent as a culinary herb or
as a garden plant. The major products
are anis oil and oleoresin anis.
Uses
It
is used mainly as a flavourant, culinary,
household, cosmetic and medicinal. The
fruit of anis, commercially called aniseed
is widely used for flavouring curries,
bread, soups, baked goods, dried figs,
deserts, cream cheese, pickles, egg
dishes, non-alcoholic and alcoholic
beverages. The essential oil is valuable
in perfumery. The oil is used for production
of anethole and sometimes as sensitizer
for bleaching colours in photography.
The other functional properties are
anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-oxidant,
stimulant, carminative and expectorant.
