Well, I just poured myself a glass of arak and… yes, still good.
Except for me, who makes orange zest or vanilla or cinnamon springerles =)
I just will not voluntarily eat anise/licorice =)
That would be me. I love cherries, but I find cherry flavored candy to be disgusting. Grape too. I’m pretty sure both of these are due to flavored liquid cold medicine from my childhood. From casual conversation over the years I know I’m not the only one, but it’s hardly the default feeling about these flavors.
I like licorice, although it’s not my first choice for an alcoholic drink.
I didn’t know that licorice-flavored medicine was common. I know that many non-USers hate root beer due to similar flavoring used in medicine.
Sometimes you can taste licorice in foods that have no relation to fennel seeds. A few years back when I was on the Oregon Coast, I ate some steamed Yaquina Bay Oysters that had a distinct licorice taste to them. (No, they weren’t spoiled and were actually quite good.)
That might be because it’s mostly made up of oats that have passed through the horse’s digestive system thereby making you associate the smell with things like oatmeal and oatmeal cookies.
I did not know that. That explains why Hershey Bars and Kisses always have that cheesy taste to them.
As for cilantro, I don’t really have any opinion on it. Unless I’m eating a big bowl of it, it’s something that doesn’t register with me taste-wise. Although I sometimes seem to have digestive trouble with items that have cilantro in them.
I’m only vaguely familiar with fennel, but for most plants that have bulbs, (e.g. onion, garlic, beet), the bulb is the root. However kohlrabi is the exception; its fat round bulb is actually a stem.
As am I only passingly familiar, but I think thefennel bulb is the wide, overlapping part of the stems of the leaves.
Thanks, WhyNot, I stand corrected. For some reason, I always thought the “bulb” of fennel grew at least partially underground, something like an onion.
I adore anise, licorice, and fennel. They are bar none among my favorite flavors. I used to be a redoubtable ouzo/arak drinker until I discovered quality absinthe. I have since switched and never looked back.
The best thing about Easter is that it is easy to find bags of black jelly beans.
Just because bulbs grow underground doesn’t mean that they’re roots. On an onion, for instance, the hairs sticking out the bottom end are the true roots; the onion itself is a modified stem.
I like the Turkish drink Raki, made from anise. It’s like ouzo but maybe even stronger. It’s clear but turns cloudy when mixed with water.
I hate licorice candy and tend to dislike anything that tastes overtly like anise. However, anise can be a nice addition in Italian dishes if it’s there in only minute amounts, overpowered by the garlic and oregano and basil. The anise should be subliminal.
I encourage the growth of fennel as a weed, however, because it is the larval food source of the beautiful anise swallowtail butterfly. (Here are the caterpillars munching away at the stuff.)
I was exchanging emails with an internet dating possibility…we were talking various pop culture likes & dislikes, and had this exchange:
Her: Red Vines or Twizzlers?
Me: I actually prefer my licorice to be licorice-flavored. You know, black.
Her: Freak.
As do ouzo, pastis, absinthe, and other distilled drinks based on anise. This is called “louching” and occurs because the essential oil of aniseed - anethole - is alcohol soluble but not water soluble and precipitates out when you add enough water to it.
I’m one of the genetic freaks that think cilantro tastes like soap. That’s exactly what it tastes like to me, liquid dish soap. To get the same effect, next time a recipe calls for cilantro, substitute 1/4 cup of Dawn instead. It’s not a matter of getting used to it, either. My MIL has been staying with us since December, and when she cooks, she puts lots of cilantro in everything. I force myself to choke it down (she’s very sensitive and takes any critique as a personal attack), and it’s still as disgusting to me as it’s ever been.
I wish someone could come up with a reasonable substitute, but apparently it’s so wonderful and unique that it can’t be substituted. Until then, I just leave it out, or not make anything that needs it.
I love licorice, anise, and fennel and all things that taste like them exept medicines. My mom and other family members love it, plus my son and spouse. You either like it or you don’t. It can be an aquired taste. I offered a friend of mine some licorice Altoids, she wasn’t sure about whether she was going to like it, I was surprised when she asked me for a couple more for later. Now when ever I buy them for myself I have to buy a tin for her.
Hmm. A site like that and it doesn’t have the kings of liqorice:
Super Piratos and Tyrkisk Peber. Some of the strongest out there - I love them!
We need to have dinner together.
Another I don’t like? Sage.
It makes perfect sense to me (sambuca has alcohol :))
Hm, I dont like sage either. How are you with dill weed?
All nasty, everything fennel/anise/licorice derived is just nasty. Many otherwise yummy pizzas and sausages have been ruined by overuse of this crap. Do people drink Nyquil for pleasure?
Cilantro is wonderful, though, if any genetic researchers here are keeping metrics.