What is Five Spice Powder?

Also known as Chinese Five Spice Powder

Five spice powder is a blend of five or more spices used in Chinese and Taiwanese cooking. The mixture typically contains Star Anise, Cloves, Chinese Cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia). Sichuan (Szechuan) Peppercorns and Fennel Seeds.

Other ingredients may include: anise, ginger, white pepper, Licorice root, galangal, mandarin orange peel, cardamom pods, turmeric, or nutmeg.

Most of the brands sold in my local city do not have Sichuan (Szechuan) pepper, some don’t have any pepper at all and some have white pepper.

I bought this from the BulkBarn, Canada. Here is the list of ingredients. Anise Seeds, White Pepper, Fennel Seeds, Cloves, Cinnamon.

Culinary Use of Five Spice Powder

  1. Used in general seasoning
  2. Used in  fatty meats such as pork, duck or goose.
  3. Used as a spice rub, for chicken, pork, duck, and seafood or as a marinade.
  4. Used in cocktails.

List of Ingredients in Some Brands of Five Spice Powder

  1. McCormick Five Spice Blend. anise, cinnamon, star anise, cloves and ginger.
  2. Frontier Co-op Five Spice Powder Cinnamon; Fennel; Cloves; Star Anise and White Pepper. 
  3. Dynasty Chinese Five Spices: Cinnamon, Star Anise, Fennel, Ginger, Cloves, White Pepper And Licorice Root.
  4. Morton & Bassett Spices Chinese Five Spice:  cinnamon, anise seed, cloves, ginger and fennel.
  5. Sun Luck Chinese Style Five Spice: Cinnamon, Anise, Fennel, Ginger, Clove And Licorice Root.


Author: Liz


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