Star anise,
star aniseed,
badiane or
Chinese star anise, (
Chinese:
八角,
pinyin:
bājiǎo, lit. "eight-horn") (
Malayalam:
തക്കോലം ) is a
spice that closely resembles
anise in flavor, obtained from the star-shaped
pericarp of
Illicium verum, a small native
evergreen tree of southwest
China. The star shaped fruits are harvested just before ripening. It is widely used in
Chinese cuisine, in
Indian cuisine where it is a major component of
garam masala, and in
Malay/
Indonesian cuisine. It is widely grown for commercial use in
China,
India, and most other countries in Asia. Star anise is an ingredient of the traditional
five-spice powder of Chinese cooking. It is also a major ingredient in the making of
phở, a
Vietnamese noodle soup . It is used as a spice in preparation of Biryani in
Andhra Pradesh, a south Indian State.