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Sweet anise can refer to either fennel or dishes containing aniseed seeds. Both have a licorice flavor due to the chemical anethole. Fennel can be used in salads, as a spice, or fried as chips, while anise seeds are commonly used in sausages and liqueurs. Star anise is unrelated.
“Sweet anise” can be a confusing term, because it’s used to describe two different types of plants used in cooking—plants with a similar taste but different appearance. The term is most commonly used to describe the bulb and fronds of the fennel plant, although it is also sometimes used to describe dishes that are sweet and contain the seeds of the aniseed plant, as is the case with dishes such as sweet aniseed bread. It is easy to distinguish fennel from anise because the anise plant is grown solely for the seeds it produces, while the fennel plant is generally sold as fronds and stems attached to a large white bulb at the base. The flavors of the two versions of sweet anise are similar, both with a strong licorice flavor, although the fennel is considered sweeter and lighter. Neither fennel nor anise should be confused with star anise, which is a pod that grows on an evergreen tree and is unrelated except again in taste.
The reason that there is a similarity in taste between different plants is due to a chemical known as anethole, which produces the licorice flavor. In nature, plants are easily distinguished. The flowers of fennel and anise plants are similar in structure, but the fennel plant has distinctive green, misty-looking fronds, while the anise plant does not. The tree that star anise comes from is completely different, growing mainly in Asia.
The version of sweet anise that is really fennel has a number of culinary uses. The fronds can be diced and used in salads or as a spice like any other fresh herb. The bulb can be cut into pieces and added to any dish, where it will provide a fresh, crunchy flavour. Once cooked, the bulb can be formed into a very stiff paste which can be mixed with mashed potatoes to lighten the flavor of a traditionally heavy dish. Slices of the bulb can also be quickly fried in hot oil to create fennel chips as a snack or used as a side dish in a larger meal.
The uses for the type of sweet anise that refers to the actual seeds of an anise plant are more distinct. They are a common spice, usually dried, that can be added to sausages or pickled spices. In some areas, anise seeds are used in the production of liqueurs such as ouzo in Greece, which has a syrupy texture and sweet aniseed flavor.
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