Mastic (Greek: Μαστίχα) is a resin obtained from the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus).[1] It is also known as tears of Chios,[2] being traditionally produced on the island of Chios, and, like other natural resins, is produced in “tears” or droplets.
Mastic is excreted by the resin glands of the evergreen shrub Pistacia lentiscus[3] and dries into pieces of brittle, translucent resin. When chewed, the resin softens and becomes a bright white and opaque gum. The flavor is bitter at first, but after some chewing, it releases a refreshing flavor similar to pine and cedar.
Chios mastic gum has been used as a traditional medicine over the last 2,500 years.[4][better source needed] The word mastic is derived indirectly from Ancient Greek: μαστίχη, lit. ‘mastic’, which may be related to Ancient Greek: μασᾶσθαι, lit. ‘chew’.[5] The first mention of actual mastic ‘tears’ was by Hippocrates. Hippocrates used mastic for the prevention of digestive problems, colds and as a breath freshener.[citation needed] Romans used mastic along with honey, pepper, and egg in the spiced wine conditum paradoxum.[citation needed] Under the Byzantine Empire, the mastic trade became the Emperor’s monopoly. In the Ottoman Empire, the Sultan gathered the finest mastic crop to send to his harem.[citation needed]
During the Ottoman rule of Chios, mastic was worth its weight in gold. Sakız Adası, the Turkish name for the island of Chios, means ‘gum island’. The mastic villages are fortress-like, out of sight from the sea, surrounded by high walls and with no doors at street level (meaning that the villages were entered only by ladders), in order to protect the sap from invaders.[clarification needed][citation needed]
Although the liqueur is much younger, it is still tied up with Greek history.[how?] Digestive liqueurs, similar to Mastichato (Mastika), but made with grapes, were known as Greek elixirs before the French Revolution.
Uses:
In the Eastern Mediterranean, mastic is commonly used in brioches, ice cream, and other desserts.[13] In Syria and Israel, mastic is added to booza (Levantine ice cream), and in Turkey, mastic is widely used in desserts such as Turkish delight and dondurma, in puddings such as sütlaç, salep, tavuk göğsü, mamelika, and in soft drinks. Mastic syrup is added to Turkish coffee on the Aegean coast. In Greece, mastic is used in liqueurs such as Mastika (or Mastichato), in a spoon sweet known as a “submarine” (Greek: υποβρύχιο, romanized: ypovríchio), in beverages, chewing gum, sweets, desserts, breads and cheese. It is also used to stabilise loukoumi and ice cream.
In the Maghreb, mastic is used mainly in cakes, sweets, and pastries and as a stabilizer in meringue and nougat. In Morocco, mastic is used in the preparation of smoked foods.[citation needed]
One of the earliest uses of mastic was as chewing gum. Mastic (מסטיק) is the colloquial Hebrew word for chewing gum