This word is from the Chinese. Back when the Spanish influence was stronger in the Philippines, the word was also spelled as sanque.
sangkî
star anise
Ang anis ay ginagamit na pampalasa sa pagkain.
Anise is used to flavor food.
The regular anise plant with the aniseed that Western cooks are familiar with has the scientific name Pimpinella anisum.
The plant that bears the Chinese star anise spice has the scientific name Illicium verum. This is the star-shaped spice that in the Philippines gives dried watermelon seeds a distinctive aroma and taste.
It is called sternanis in German, anise de Chine in French, anice stellato in Italian, badian in Spanish, bunga lawang in Indonesia and Malaysia, chinpaetklip in Thailand, and hoi sao in Vietnam.
The first star anise seeds were brought to Europe from the Philippines in 1578 by the navigator Thomas Cavendish. Those seeds were originally from southern China, where they had been used as spice and medicine for thousands of years.
