Also called fennel and finocchio, anise the vegetable should not be confused with anise the herb. The vegetable anise has broad leaf stalks surrounding a bulb end often 3 or 4 inches in diameter. The herb is the light green foliage of anise.
Anise has many medicinal uses including the treatment of digestive problems and its oil is used to treat lice and scabies.
Early Romans cultivated anise so extensively that it was served with virtually all meat dishes in those times.
Anise is used in liquor all over the world and can be found in Absinthe, Anisette, Pastisto, Raki, Mastika, Ouzo, Aguardiente, Arak, Jägermeister and Sambuca.