Mastic is the resin that gives the word “masticate” its origin. It has been chewed as gum, cooked into sweets and spirits, painted onto icons as varnish, burned as incense and prescribed for stomach complaints for two millennia, and almost all of it comes from a few villages on the south of one Greek island.
Source
Pistacia lentiscus is a shrubby evergreen of the Mediterranean, related to the pistachio. On southern Chios the variety chia is cultivated in groves that have been in the same families for centuries. In summer the ground under each tree is cleaned and covered with white clay; the bark is scored with small cuts; the resin oozes out, drips and hardens into “tears” on the clay, and is gathered, cleaned and sorted by hand over the autumn. UNESCO lists the practice as intangible cultural heritage. The 24 mastichochoria, the mastic villages, were built fortified because the crop was valuable enough to raid.
Appearance and scent
Mastic comes as small, hard, pale yellow to nearly clear tears, dusty with the powder that keeps them from sticking. Fresh tears are translucent and brittle; they yellow with age. The smell is clean and resinous: pine, a hint of cedar, a green, herbal, slightly bitter edge, and a cooling quality. It is less citrusy than frankincense and less sweet than anything balsamic.
The essential oil is mostly alpha-pinene with myrcene, limonene and beta-caryophyllene; the resin fraction is triterpenic (masticadienonic acid and relatives).
Uses
Chewing. The original chewing gum. It starts hard and bitter and softens into a resinous, faintly pine-flavoured gum. Ottoman harems chewed it; modern Chios sells it in small packets.
Food and drink. Mastic flavours mastiha liqueur, Greek and Turkish ice cream and puddings, Turkish delight, breads and the Middle Eastern spice blends of the Levant. A little goes a long way; too much is soapy.
Varnish. Mastic varnish was the standard picture and icon varnish for centuries, prized for its clarity and ease of removal. Dammar largely replaced it.
Incense. Mastic burns cleanly with a light, piney, slightly sweet smoke. It is used in Greek Orthodox incense blends and in the eastern Mediterranean. It suits blends with frankincense, sandarac and a small amount of benzoin.
Medicine. Used since antiquity for digestive complaints, oral hygiene and wound care. Modern research has looked at effects on Helicobacter pylori and dyspepsia with modest, mixed results.
Buying
Genuine Chios mastic is sold by the Chios Mastiha Growers Association and licensed distributors, graded by tear size. Cheaper “mastic” from Turkey or North Africa exists but is usually a different Pistacia product or an adulterated one. Store cool and sealed; it keeps for years but yellows and hardens.
Frequently asked questions
What does mastic smell and taste like?
Clean, fresh and resinous: pine, cedar and a faint herbal bitterness, with a cooling effect. Chewed, it starts bitter and softens into a mild, pleasant resinous gum.
Why is mastic only produced on Chios?
Pistacia lentiscus grows around the Mediterranean, but only the variety on southern Chios (var. chia) produces resin in commercial quantity, and only there has the harvesting culture developed. Chios mastic has EU protected designation of origin status.
Is mastic good for the stomach?
It has been used for digestive complaints since antiquity, and some small clinical studies suggest activity against Helicobacter pylori and dyspepsia. The evidence is limited; it is a traditional remedy, not a proven treatment.
Sources & further reading
- mastic
- chios
- pistacia
- resins
