Star anise is a spice used in Haitian cooking both in sweet and savory dishes. It gets its name from the star shape of the pod, which typically has eight points and a pea-sized seed in each one. Star anise has a strong, sweet, and spicy flavor. You can find ground star anise in the spice aisle or the international aisle of your local grocery store. Whole star anise tends to be more difficult to find, but you can usually locate it in an Asian or Indian grocery store.