Nutrition and buying tips: Aniseed

Not to be confused with Star Anise, Aniseeds are an entirely different spice. To further add to the confusion, the also look like a third spice, but taste entirely different: Carom Seeds!

All values below are per 1 tsp (0.7g) of Aniseed.

Proximates
Water 0.20g
Energy 7kcal
Protein 0.37g
Total lipid (fat) 0.33g
Carbohydrate, by difference 1.05g
Fiber, total dietary 0.3g

Minerals
Calcium, Ca 14mg
Iron, Fe 0.78mg
Magnesium, Mg 4mg
Phosphorus, P 9mg
Potassium, K 30mg
Sodium, Na 0mg
Zinc, Zn 0.11mg

Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid 0.4mg
Thiamin 0.007mg
Riboflavin 0.006mg
Niacin 0.064mg
Vitamin B-6 0.014mg
Folate, DFE 0µg
Vitamin B-12 0.00µg
Vitamin A, RAE 0µg
Vitamin A, IU 7IU
Vitamin D (D2 + D3) 0.0µg
Vitamin D 0IU

Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated 0.012g
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated 0.205g
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated 0.066g
Cholesterol 0mg

Tips on buying quality aniseed

Our recommendation with aniseed is to first make sure you’re buying the high grade Turkish variety of the spice. This aniseed is extremely aromatic, and has a beautiful liquorice / cardamom smell which should be smelt instantly upon opening a packet. Aniseed is also bright coloured, and has small stems on the end. In case stems are missing, it’s very likely that you instead have the much cheaper, more ordinary spice, Carom Seeds! These look nearly identical except for this fact, and a slight colour variation. In case you’re still unsure, please refer to our quality and grade standards here when buying good quality whole Aniseed.

Data taken from United States Department of Agriculture