Anice Verde di Castignano

Green anise is Asian in origin and takes its name from the Greek anisos, not equal, said to distinguish it from the hemlock it resembles but does not match in colour or size. The plant stays under 50 cm and carries small white umbels at the end of June. It has been grown around the Mediterranean for millennia and written up since antiquity for its uses, medicinal (stomach pain, jaundice, respiratory complaints, sleeplessness, indigestion) and as a flavouring for food, wine and spirits, which made it worth real money; it was already being cultivated in Charlemagne's time.