Latin name - Illicium verum
Country of Origin - China
Common names: Badain, Badiana, Chinese Anise, anis de la Chine, anise étoilé, badiane, Sternanis, anice stellato, anis estrllado, badian, ba chio, ba(ht) g(h)ok, bart gok, pa-chiao, pak kok, peh kah, bunga lawang.
Star anise is used in the East as aniseed is in the West. Apart from its use in sweetmeats and confectionery, where sweeteners must be added, it contributes to meat and poultry dishes, combining especially well with pork and duck.
In Chinese red cooking, where the ingredients are simmered for a lengthy period in dark soy sauce, star anise is nearly always added to beef and chicken dishes. Chinese stocks and soups very often contain the spice.. It flavours marbled eggs, a decorative Chinese hors d’oeuvre or snack.
In the West, star anise is added in fruit compotes and jams, and in the manufacture of anise-flavoured liqueurs, the best known being anisette. It is an ingredient of the mixture known as "Chinese Five Spice".