Anise is the true taste of licorice — its oils are distilled into the flavoring for licorice candy (not from the herb licorice, which has a different taste). Anise bears a sweet and fragrant bouquet and strong family resemblance to the members of the carrot family, that include dill, fennel, coriander, cumin and caraway. Anise is native to the eastern Mediterranean region, the Levant, and Egypt. The early Arabic name was anysum from which was derived the Greek anison and the Latin anisun. There is evidence that anise was used in Egypt as early as 1500 B.C. To aid digestion the Romans enjoyed anise-spiced cakes after heavy meals.