NY Chios Mastiha. What is Mastiha Mastiha is the natural and rare tree resin of the pistacia lentiscus var Chia tree. Grilled Salmon more. Scientific research has shown that this resin has anti oxidant, anti bacterial, and anti inflammatory qualities. It has been documented from antiquity for its health benefits, its use as the first natural chewing gum and as a cooking spice. Did you know that prehistoric man chewed gum Chewing gum has enjoyed a long history. Learn the interesting history of chewing gum. Mastika is a liqueur seasoned with mastic, a resin gathered from the mastic tree, a small evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean region. The name of the resin. Al-Fakher-Gum-Mastic-2.gif' alt='Mastic Flavor' title='Mastic Flavor' />This spirit comes from one Greek island, but is gaining popularity all over the world. Functional uses flavor and fragrance agents. Has a floral type odor and an citrus type flavor. Rosewater, Cardamom and Gum Mastic Icecream 26 March 2006. Its always exciting to try ingredients youve never used before although I sometimes OK, often. Mastic Beachs Blue Claw Crab Festival is expected to draw thousands of seafood lovers to celebrate, crack open and savor one of Long Islands beloved. Today, it is still chewed as well as used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and in the culinary world. Chios mastiha contributes to a healthy gastrointestinal system and has beneficial effects for both oral hygiene and skin care. Chios Mastiha is protected by the European Union as a Protected Designation of Origin PDO product. This distincion recognizes the name of a specific region or country where a specific agricultural product originates exclusively due to the geographical environment. This includes the natural and human factors and production, alteration and processes which take place in the delineated geographical area. All PDO products bear the EU symbol designating them as such. Chewing Chios Mastiha is a truly unique experience. To create your own natural piece of gum, select a few medium pieces of the resin, or combine a small piece with a large one. The larger pieces tend to be softer than the small ones, so it is recommended that one chew a mixture rather than chew only the small, hard pieces. Before chewing, let the pieces moisten in your mouth. The mastiha may taste a bit bitter at first, but that taste fades into a light herbal flavor. Begin chewing and the mastiha becomes a white silky color. The resin keeps its hard texture indefinitely and this is precisely why it is recommended for gum health and amazingly clean teeth  Keep chewing the gum for a half hour in order to gain all the therapeutic benefits. For more information on Chios Mastiha, click on the informational brochures below. CHIOS MASTIHA OVERVIEWfilesFilePDFOVERVIEW ENG. CHIOS MASTIHA MEDICAL SCIENTIFIC REPORTSfilesFilePDFmedical scireports. CHIOS MASTIHA GUIDE TO BEAUTY CAREfilesFilePDFCHIOSMASTIHAGUIDETOBEAUTYCARE. CHIOS MASTIHA RECIPESfilesFilePDFrecipebooklet. MastihaSap From Mastic TreesIs the Latest Must Try Cocktail Ingredient. Crumbly cubes of feta cheese and thick yogurt may be what first come to mind when thinking about Greeces culinary exports. But with craft cocktails as pervasive as ever, Mastiha is also slowly acquiring this coveted status. Tracing its roots back to at least 5. BC, Mastiha is the fragrant sap from petite evergreen Mastic trees indigenous to the volcanic Greek island of Chios. It forms striking, droplet shaped tears that after a few days fall to the ground when hardened. Also known as the worlds first chewing gum, it has long been heralded for its healing digestive properties. Although this distinctly Greek product has been cherished for thousands of years as a liquor, its presence in the States is just budding. In 2. 00. 8, Effie Panagopoulos, then a brand ambassador for the Greek brandy spirit Metaxa, was at a beach bar in Mykonos where everyone was guzzling shots of Mastiha. A friend handed her one, she says, and I had this Proustian rush. I thought, I know this flavor. This is like the ypovrihio a Greek dessert made from 1. Mastiha that we had when we were kids. It was a turning point for her, and she grew smitten with the idea of starting her own brand and putting a modern face on the ancient world of Greek spirits. That dream will come true in the fall when Kleos, her Mastiha made by hand in small batches at a craft distillery known for top notch ouzo, arrives in New York, California, Massachusetts and Florida. Theres even a T shirt collaboration underway with Patricia Field. As part of her revival efforts, Panagopoulos has been hooking bartenders on Mastiha for years, walking around with a vial of the stuff on her to offer industry pals a spontaneous taste. Their interest was piqued, and Mastiha cocktails started blooming, especially because chefs had long embraced it as an underground ingredient, and today the bar follows what the kitchen does, says Panagopoulos. A few Mastiha brands have started exporting to the U. S., so people are finally discovering Greeces best kept secret. One of those bartenders who fell for Mastiha before it was cool is Jonathan Mendez, a partner at Porto, Trade, and Saloniki in Boston. While he looks forward to seeing Kleos at his bars, he is also happy to currently experiment with Skinos, another bartender favorite, which he pairs with Salers and dry vermouth in the Greek Negroni. Mendez thinks Mastiha serves as an efficient cocktail bridge, too. For example, I frequently use it in mezcal cocktails as a way to brighten up a smoke heavy spirit and open it up to different layers of bitter, perhaps with an amaro, or with acid, he says. At Trade, where the flavors skew Mediterranean and North African, he seeks out Mastiha for its wonderful floral properties. It adds a great level of brightness to dishes that can be spice forward and have deep, complex flavors. A simple Mastiha highball with Greek sparkling water and lemon zest called Tears of Chios is served at Helen in the Heights in Houston, the just opened spinoff of Helen Greek Food Wine, where Evan Turner presides over the beverage program. Mastiha is bright, fresh, and clean, with great minerality. Nothing smells or tastes like it, and it comes from one island on the planet, period, he says. The unique herbaceous quality allows it to be used much like gin but with a more floral, aromatic profile. Simply adding tonic, mint, thyme, and other herbs are stunning when incorporated into Mastiha drinks. Johnny Livanos is general manager and bar program director of Ousia, the casual sibling of hallowed Greek dining room Molyvos in New York, and he is also an ardent Mastiha fan. It is often hard to pinpoint the flavorsometimes it reminds me of cinnamon or anise, sometimes its vegetalbut it is there in full force. Although he likes sipping it alone, he thinks its natural sweetness means it can stand in for simple syrup and works well in cocktails like the Far West Side. This spring sipper, with vodka, lemon juice, muddled cucumber, and mint, is the bars best seller. Franky Marshalls Sorcire cocktail at Le Boudoir. Photo Courtesy of Le Boudoir. After tasting Mastiha several years ago in Europe, Franky Marshall, beverage director of Le Boudoir, the subterranean Brooklyn lair inspired by Marie Antoinettes seductive private chambers, was immediately intrigued by its centuries long use in various forms, as well as the distinctive production process that was new to us but not new at all. At Le Boudoir, she makes the Sorcire with Mastiha, melding Skinos with tequila, aquavit, lemon juice, and cinnamon bark syrup. Mastiha, she says, brings a familiar yet hmmm, what is that sensibility to drinks. Its all carrots on the nose, but the resin and slightly tannic quality come through on the palate. Sorcire recipe. Ingredients. Aquavit. 7. 5 oz Blanco Tequila. Mastiha. Instructions. Add all ingredients to mixing tin. Shake with ice. Fine strain into a chalice. In a nonreactive container, combine 8 oz of sugar and 4 oz boiling water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add 8 1. 0 pieces of cinnamon bark preferably the Indian varietyCover and let sit for about 4 hours, shaking occasionally. Taste to make sure cinnamon flavor is infused into the syrup.