Chios mastic has a history stretching back over 2,500 years. Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, already referenced mastic for digestion and oral hygiene. Chios, in the north-east Aegean, is the only place in the world where the mastic tree produces this resin in usable quantities — specifically in the island’s southern Mastichochoria (“mastic villages”) region. UNESCO added the traditional knowledge of mastic cultivation to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2014. During Ottoman times, Chios mastic was a luxury reserved for the sultan’s court, chewed by women of the harem to freshen their breath.

Harvesting happens by hand between July and October: growers make shallow cuts in the trunk and main branches, and the resin slowly seeps out as translucent droplets that solidify on contact with air into the characteristic “tears” of mastic. These are then hand-cleaned, sorted and graded, traditionally by the women of the mastic villages. Each tree yields only around 150-180g of resin a year, explaining the rarity and price of genuine Chios mastic.

Chios mastic is traditionally chewed as a natural gum: place one or two small pieces in the mouth and chew slowly — the resin starts hard and brittle, then softens with body heat into a soft, elastic texture. Chewing mastic resin has long been associated with digestive comfort across Greece and the Mediterranean, used traditionally for bloating, acid reflux or general post-meal discomfort, and it also stimulates saliva production, which supports digestion from the mouth onward. For oral hygiene, it has been used for millennia to freshen breath, leaving a distinctive, slightly resinous, fresh taste. In Greek tradition, mastic is also used in cooking and pastry-making, ground with a pinch of sugar for cakes, biscuits, ice cream and liqueurs.

Take 1 to 3 small pieces (about 1g) and chew slowly for 15 to 30 minutes; the resin will initially break into small pieces before coming together into a soft, elastic mass. It can be used several times a day, particularly after meals — do not swallow the resin after chewing. Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and heat; it keeps very well for years under good conditions.

Is Chios mastic a natural, vegan product?

Yes, 100% natural and vegan — a plant resin harvested by incising the mastic tree’s bark, with no chemical processing or additives. The composition is simple: 100% Chios island mastic resin (Pistacia lentiscus).

Can Chios mastic be used in cooking?

Absolutely. It’s a traditional ingredient in eastern Mediterranean cuisine — ground into a powder, it flavours ice cream, custards, biscuits, bread and traditional Greek and Turkish pastries with a subtle, resinous, fresh taste. A few grams are enough to flavour a whole dessert.

How do I recognise authentic Chios mastic?

Genuine Chios mastic comes as small, irregular tears, pale yellow to amber, translucent or slightly opaque, hard and brittle at room temperature but soft and elastic when chewed, with a characteristic fresh, resinous, slightly balsamic aroma.

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