Cooking With Star Anise

Star anise is a type of fruit. It grows in China Japan and many other countries in Asia. Due to its sweet taste and rich fragrance it is used as a cooking ingredient for flavoring curries and for pickling. It has an aniseed like flavor odor and taste.Star anise has many uses in the kitchen and out of it as well. The fruit is used to obtain a volatile oil which is colorless or pale yellow with an anise oil like odor and aromatic taste. The fatty oil obtained from the star anise fruit is used as a raw material in the production of soap. The fatty oil extracted from its fruit is also used as an edible oil. It is also used in making perfumes. In many countries it is also used as a mouth freshener. Star anise is an important ingredient in stews and curries.