🇸🇦 Arabicar
يانسون
yansoun
Mediterranean basin, Türkiye
Anise Seed
80–95%
anethole share
of the essential oil
2–6%
essential oil yield
of dry seed weight
110 d
sowing to harvest
Mediterranean summer cycle
4000 y
of recorded use
from Pharaonic Egypt onward
Visual atlas
Profile
Anise, also called aniseed or rarely anix, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia.
Anise seed is the small, ribbed fruit of Pimpinella anisum, an annual umbellifer native to the eastern Mediterranean and cultivated since antiquity in Egypt, Anatolia, Greece and the Iberian peninsula. Despite sharing its signature liquorice note with star anise and fennel, it is botanically unrelated to both — the common thread is anethole, which makes up 80 to 95 per cent of its essential oil. The seed is a defining ingredient of the aniseed liqueur belt that runs from Portuguese aguardente and French pastis to Greek ouzo, Turkish raki, Lebanese arak and Italian sambuca. In bakeries it scents German Pfeffernüsse, Dutch muisjes, Scandinavian rye breads and Italian biscotti. Its sweetness sits lower and greener than star anise, with a herbaceous lift that star anise cannot deliver.
Origin
Mediterranean basin, Türkiye.
Türkiye
Mediterranean basin · Antakya, Hatay (Turkey)
Process
01March
Sowing
Pimpinella anisum seeded in warm, well-drained soil after the last frost — Mediterranean and Anatolian gardens.
02May–June
Flowering
White umbels open. The plant reaches 50–60 cm. Bees work the flowers; anethole already perfumes the leaves.
03August
Seed set
Green schizocarps ripen on the umbel. Growers watch for the first grey-brown tone — the signal to cut.
04September
Harvest
Umbels are cut in the cool morning, tied in sheaves, dried under cover to preserve volatile anethole.
05Threshing
Rubbing the umbels
Once dry, the umbels are rolled by hand or by light machine, the paired mericarps fall out, chaff is winnowed.
06Your jar
Whole, not ground
Stored whole in sealed glass. Aroma holds 18 months; ground anise fades within weeks.
Inside the berry
The molecules that make it taste like Kampot — and not like anything else.
GC-MS of Pimpinella anisum: trans-anethole makes up 80–95% of the volatile oil. p-anisaldehyde and estragole trace the sweet-floral edge.
3.5%
Essential oil
of dry mericarp
88%
trans-Anethole
of the volatile oil
9.2%
Moisture
post shade-dry
40+
Volatile compounds
identified in recent studies
Volatile compound profile
- trans-Anethole88.0%
The signature: sweet liquorice, warm, rounded.
- Estragole (methyl chavicol)2.8%
Minty-aniseed, sharper edge — monitored for intake limits.
- p-Anisaldehyde1.5%
Floral, almost hawthorn — lifts the top.
- γ-Himachalene2.1%
Woody-balsamic — a soft background.
- Limonene1.4%
Bright citrus — the lift that keeps anise from going cloying.
- α-Pinene0.9%
Pine-fresh green — a thin, clean thread.
Versus other peppers
| Pepper | Anethole | Oil |
|---|---|---|
★ Turkish (Çeşme/Hatay) Anatolia · balanced, classic | 88% | 3.5% |
Spanish (Alicante) Matalahúga · higher anethole | 92% | 4.0% |
Syrian Aleppo · rounder, rustic | 85% | 3.2% |
Chinese star anise Illicium verum · different species, more oil | 90% | 9.0% |
Fennel seed Foeniculum vulgare · fenchone shifts profile | 65% | 4.5% |
Cuisines
How the world cooks with it.
3 signature dishes
Marseille's pastis culture is anise culture — the 17h louche ritual leans on green anise plus star anise.
- Pastisgrade: turkish-anise
Macerated anise distillate diluted with iced water until it louches opalescent.
- Bouillabaissegrade: turkish-anise
A pinch of anise seed in the broth sharpens the rouille and saffron.
- Navettes de Marseillegrade: turkish-anise
Hard boat-shaped biscuits perfumed with orange blossom and anise.
Around the world
What it's called, from Phnom Penh to Palermo.
🇧🇩 Bengalibn
মৌরি
mouri
🇨🇳 Chinesezh
大茴香
dà huíxiāng
🇳🇱 Dutchnl
Anijs
🇬🇧 Englishen
Anise seed
🇫🇷 Frenchfr
Anis vert
🇩🇪 Germande
Anis
🇮🇳 Hindihi
सौंफ (विलायती)
saunf vilayati
🇮🇩 Indonesianid
Adas manis
🇮🇹 Italianit
Anice
🇯🇵 Japaneseja
アニス
anisu
🇰🇷 Koreanko
아니스
aniseu
🇲🇾 Malayms
Jintan manis
🇵🇹 Portuguesept
Anis
🇷🇺 Russianru
Анис
anis
🇪🇸 Spanishes
Anís
🇮🇳 Tamilta
சோம்பு
sombu
🇹🇭 Thaith
โป๊ยกั๊ก (ชนิดเมล็ด)
poi-kak
🇹🇷 Turkishtr
Anason
🇵🇰 Urduur
سونف
sonf
🇻🇳 Vietnamesevi
Hồi xanh
Seasonality
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Peak harvestTail harvestStored, available
Pairings
Protein
- White fish
Plant
- Roasted carrots
Sweet
- Pfeffernüsse
Drink
- Pastis & ouzo
Substitutes
Frequent questions
No. Anise seed comes from Pimpinella anisum (a Mediterranean umbellifer), star anise from Illicium verum (a Chinese evergreen tree). They share one dominant molecule — trans-anethole — which is why they taste similar, but the full aromatic envelope differs: anise is softer, more floral, with p-anisaldehyde lift; star anise is warmer, more medicinal, and carries more oil.