Known for its eye-catching eight-pointed shape, star anise is the dried fruit of a small evergreen tree native to northeast Vietnam and southwest China. Despite its similar sweet, licorice-like flavor, it is not related to European anise or fennel.

Used in cooking and traditional medicine for thousands of years, star anise is a key ingredient in Chinese five-spice powder and the secret behind a fragrant bowl of Vietnamese pho. Its fragrant pods are packed with natural essential oils that release a rich, sweet warmth when simmered in broths, stews, hot apple cider, or chai tea.

Beyond its great flavor, star anise contains powerful antioxidants and has traditionally been used to aid digestion and help fight off colds. In fact, a natural compound extracted from star anise was long used as a primary ingredient in the production of Tamiflu, the common antiviral medicine!

The pods are harvested while still green and unripe, then dried in the sun until they turn their familiar reddish-brown color. Each arm of the star contains a shiny, pea-sized seed, but most of the intense flavor comes from the outer pod itself.

In traditional feng shui and folk customs, the stars were sometimes carried as good luck charms or used to bring sweet dreams.

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