Aniseed can be used as a substitution for caraway seeds in seed cake, added to rye or wholemeal bread, used in plain or spiced biscuits or even added in a Mediterranean fish soup. In the Middle East, aniseed is used to make an infusion with or without tea leaves.
During the medieval times, aniseed was widely used both as a medicament and as a food flavoring. However, its taste fell out of fashion and today aniseed balls are almost the only reminder of its past popularity. Nevertheless, Aniseed is still popular in the central Europe where it is widely used for flavoring sweet dishes, biscuits and cakes. In many Mediterranean countries, it is used to flavor absinthe-related drinks, called variously anisetter, arak, ouzo, Pernod and raki. In India and Southeast Asia, the seeds are used in curries, and are also chewed whole after a meal as a digestive.
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