On Food and Cooking

weight. Star anise is chewed in China, and
fennel seed in India, to “sweeten the
breath,” and they are also literally sweet
for the person chewing. A related sweet
aromatic is estragole (methyl chavicol),
which is most prominent in sweet basil and
tarragon.
Anethole is unusual among phenolic
flavor compounds for remaining pleasant
to the taste at high concentrations. Its very
high concentration in anise-flavored
liquors is the reason for the dramatic
clouding that results when these liquors are
diluted with water: anethole dissolves in
alcohol but not in water, so when the added
water dilutes the alcohol, the anethole
molecules cluster together in bunches big
enough to scatter light.
Black cumin is the seed of a different
species (Cuminum nigrum), darker and
smaller, with less cuminaldehyde and a more
complex aroma. It is much used in savory