Star Anise Application in Culinary Field 🍛

Star Anise
http://theepicentre.com/spice/star-anise/

Star anise (Illicium verum) or also known as pekak in Indonesia, is a star-shaped spice often applied in cooking in Indonesia and abroad. Star anise has six until eight petals and in each petal there is an oval and brown seed inside. The popularity of the anise flower has spread to Europe and Asia, i.e. China, Thailand and Vietnam. Star anise has a distinctive aroma and strong taste, hence it can contribute to culinary flavor, taste and aroma. In Indonesia,it can be incorporated into Aceh curry, Minang rendang, and various other Javanese and Balinese dishes and it is part of the spices of the five spice powder mix.

Chinese utilizes star anise as a spice in Chinese Tea Eggs culinary or in Indonesia, known as pindang eggs. Cooked curries🍛, broths, meats and soups can be incorporated with star anise in Vietnam and India. Besides being able to be applied in culinary, star anise has various benefits in the food sector. Star anise is useful in the confectionary field, i.e. pastilles and medicinal tea. Europe uses star annise as a flavoring agent in jams, breads 🍞, various desserts and liquers, i.e. anisette and pernod. The distinctive aroma of star annise is mainly caused by the two components, i.e. trans anethol and shikimic acid (Boota et al., 2018).

Based on Patra et al. (2020), apart from making the dishes more flavorful, star anise has a functional component, i.e. shikimic acid, which contributes in relieving respiratory-related diseases, i.e. influenza, tuberculosis, flu, irritation in the lungs, bronchitis and coughs. Patra et al. (2020) added that there are more than 10 other bioactive components with various ingredients that are beneficial to the body, including 3-hydroxybenzoic acid which functions as an anti-depressant. Other bioactive components have various benefits, i.e. antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, antifungal, anticancer, analgesic. The seeds contained in the flower petals of star anise has proven to be useful for increasing food digestibility (Boota et al., 2018).

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References

Anonim. (2020). BAB II PERANCANGAN MEDIA INFORMASI REMPAH BUNGA LAWANG DALAM RESEP BUMBU MASAKAN ACEH. https://elib.unikom.ac.id/files/disk1/701/jbptunikompp-gdl-ichsannim5-35034-9-unikom_i-i.pdf. Diakses pada tanggal 20 Desember 2020. Pukul 15:35. 

Boota, T., Rehman, R., Musthaq, A., Kazerooni, E.G. (2018). Star Anise: A Review on Benefits, Biological Activities and Potential Uses. International Journal of Chemical and Biochemical Sciences. Hal 110-114. Diakses tanggal 20 Desember 2020. Pukul 15:56.

LPPM. (2011). Manfaat Si Cantik Pekak / Bunga Lawang. https://lppm.ipb.ac.id/manfaat-si-cantik-pekak-atau-bunga-lawang/. Diakses 20 Desember 2012. Pukul 15:52

Patra, J. K., Das, G., Bose, S., Banerjee, S., Vishnuprasad, C. N., del Pilar Rodriguez‐Torres, M., & Shin, H. S. (2020). Star anise (Illicium verum): Chemical compounds, antiviral properties, and clinical relevance. Phytotherapy Research, 34(6), 1248-1267.

Rosari, A. R., Duniaji, A. S., & Nocianitri, K. A. (2018). UJI FITOKIMIA EKSTRAK BUNGA LAWANG (Illicium verum Hook. f) DAN DAYA HAMBATNYA TERHADAP Staphylococcus aureus. Jurnal Ilmu dan Teknologi Pangan (ITEPA), 7(4), 148-155.

Shahrajabian, M. H., Sun, W., & Cheng, Q. (2019). Chinese star anise and anise, magic herbs in traditional Chinese medicine and modern pharmaceutical science. Asian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, 5(3), 162-179.

Winarsih, S., Vamelia, R. E., Nurlaily, N., & Tanzila, M. G. (2018). Identifikasi Senyawa Aktif Crude Ekstrak Bunga Lawang (Illicium verum) dan Uji Antimikrobia Pembusuk Dari Daging Ayam Broiler. Jurnal Agroteknologi, 12(02), 196-202.