Mastiha: A Unique Herbal Spirit from Greece

What would you say if you had to describe Greeks in just a few words? We would say they are among the most hospitable people we have encountered in all our travels. Tourism is a significant industry in Greece, but that doesn’t always translate to feeling appreciated and welcomed as a guest. One of the most striking traits in Greece is that in most restaurants, especially local places, you will be provided at least one, and sometimes several, free items with your meal. That was our experience not only on the mainland but also on Mykonos, Santorini, and Crete.

It expresses their appreciation for your patronage, a gift of sorts to say thank you. During our 2021 travels, we were often greeted with a complimentary appetizer. We would then be given a complimentary small carafe of liquor and dessert at the end of the meal, with the check left. These offers of kind hospitality were always welcome and lovely. In all our travels so far, it is unique to Greece.

Our Introduction to Mastiha

During Joelle’s first trip to Greece with her sister, the complimentary liquor at the end of the meal was almost exclusively Mastiha. (Our 2021 trip was a mix of Mastiha and Vinsanto.) We never missed out on trying something new, so we went for it, not even knowing for sure what we were trying. It was quite a shock the first time. Imagine drinking tree bark when you were least expecting it. Technically, that is what you are drinking. To our surprise, we quickly came to enjoy it and were disappointed when it wasn’t served at the end of the meal.

Mastiha is produced from the resin of the Mastiha tree, which grows on the island of Chios, Greece. Indeed, the unique climate at the island’s southern end is the only place in the world where this aromatic resin is cultivated. There is a compelling story behind this unique herbal liquor, with its magical qualities. As you look closely, you will see Mastiha products everywhere in Greece. From candies, elixirs, cough drops, digestive aids, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, gum, sunscreen, skincare, coffee, cereal bars, a culinary herb…..you get it. The Greeks love their Mastiha; in any form, they can get it.

What is Mastiha?

Mastiha starts as a semi-transparent sap that solidifies in yellowish teardrop blobs. It’s native to the southern side of the Greek island of Chios. There have been attempts to graft such trees in Italy, Turkey, and northern Chios with no success. This is due to the combination of the volcanic soil of southern Chios, an exceedingly dry microclimate, and generations of selective breeding, in which only the best-yielding trees were propagated.

Sold whole or ground, mastiha is used as a flavoring in cooking and as a fragrant, refreshing additive to cosmetics and personal hygiene products. Additionally, it is found in paint and varnishes, where mastic is added for its oily properties and color.

You may have already had some without realizing it. It is widely used in Eastern Mediterranean and Arab cuisines, appearing in desserts, pastries, puddings, candies, and fruit preserves, and in beverages such as tea and coffee. Moreover, mastiha can be used as a spice in both sweet and spicy dishes. It is popular in meat dishes with lamb, fish, poultry, and goat. It can even be a natural chewing gum (mastic gum). When ground and mixed with sugar or salt, mastiha is excellent for flavoring savory or sugary preparations.

What does it Taste Like?

Musky and aromatic, mastiha has a distinct and refreshing earthy flavor of wood, fresh trees, and pine. It may sound unusual, but trust us, it is terrific. Drinking the Mastiha spirits is precisely how you feel refreshed.

History

For almost 3.000 years, the power of mastiha has been around. It has spread worldwide through emperors and adventurers. Mastiha has traveled worldwide as a culinary delicacy, known for its digestive properties.

The English word “masticate” comes from the Latin adaptation of the Greek word “to chew,” which is mastichein. In the past, before toothpaste, the wealthy would chew mastiha to fight plaque and freshen their breath.

Chios Island

The Island of Chios is the fifth-largest Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea and is known for the unique and rare cultivation of mastiha. The local economy has prospered for centuries by cultivating lentisc trees that produce the aromatic “mastiha” resin. Mastiha is a resin worker’s harvest from the mastic evergreen, a shrub of the species Pistacia lentiscus. Native to the Greek island of Chios, mastiha has a teardrop shape when solidified, earning the name “drops or tears of Chios.”

Chios is known for its Mastiha, medieval villages, beautiful beaches, and fertile soil. It is a prosperous island renowned for its wealth, driven by a strong economy tied to mastiha. It is about a 35-minute flight from Athens International Airport.

To learn more about Chios, Greece, check out Chios Island’s Official Tourism site

What is the Mastiha tree?

Mastiha trees are known as the “Crying Tree.” They are cultivated exclusively in one place: the small island of Chios. The unique microclimate is the only one capable of producing the aromatic resin required to make Mastiha spirits. Harvesting occurs only once per year, in June and July. The process consists of several “prickings,” and it takes several weeks to extract mastiha teardrops. The tree is “crying out” the Mastiha resin, which takes 10 to 20 days to solidify and be collected.

Attaining the Resin

Approximately 24 villages on the island of Chios are known as mastiha villages. During the winter months, workers prune trees to maintain a round shape, allowing them to collect resin more efficiently. Spring brings back-breaking work to harvest the resin.

The farmworkers prepare “the table” by weeding a round area below the mastic tree and sweeping it. They then spread limestone to create a flat surface where the resin will fall and solidify without dissolving. They then make shallow incisions starting at the bottom and moving toward the top; the bottom produces thicker droplets, and the top, finer ones. About three to four weeks after making the incisions, workers collect the drops from “the table” and pick those remaining on the trunk. If it rains even once, workers lose the mastiha resin.

They gather their resin crop in the fall and clean it by sifting, washing, and removing impurities.

The Mastiha Process

Once the resin is harvested, Mastiha is carefully transferred in wooden coffins covered with boat textiles to a cool warehouse. The village residents select only the highest-quality resins and clean them by hand. It is a thoughtful and tedious process.

The distillation process begins when Mastiha is mixed with OK alcohol (quality matters) and placed in bronze alembics, which are then heated over a fire. This process yields a delicate extract with a distinctive aroma.

The next step is blending, which occurs when high-quality sugar, alcohol, and mineral water are added to complement the mixture and create a distinctive, balanced, clear white Mastiha spirit. The spirits are ideally bottled in high-quality glass bottles, and a natural cork seals the bottle.

UNESCO and Protecting the Mastic Trees

Although mastic trees grow throughout the Mediterranean, only the variety in Chios’s southern microclimate produces the distinctive aromatic sap that makes the liqueur. The EU protected mastiha with a Designation of Origin (PDO), and UNESCO recognizes its traditional harvest as a living heritage of humanity. The EU has also recognized mastiha as a traditional herbal medicine for digestive problems.

In August 2012, disastrous wildfires spread across the island of Chios, burning more than 31,000 acres. As a result, more than half of the island’s mastic orchards were destroyed. Because it has a protected designation of origin from the EU, the fire not only affected Chios farmers, who lost almost 60 percent of their crops, but also seriously disrupted the global supply of mastiha.

Fun Fact

The trade in mastiha took a significant hit after 1900, when Thomas Adams mass-produced chewing gum in the United States under the name Chiclets, made from the resin of the Mexican sapodilla tree, and marketed it worldwide.

Cooking with Mastiha

Mastiha is a spice that must be mixed with salt or sugar to temper its strength because it is potent and can overwhelm the dish’s flavor. If you wish to use mastiha, grind the frozen drops in a mortar and pestle. Measure what you have, and following a 1:10 ratio, mix it with salt or sugar. As with all-powerful spices, mastiha is usually added in small amounts. A little goes a long way.

How to Enjoy Mastiha

In Greece, it is most often served cold and straight-up as a digestive at the end of a meal. This is how we first experienced it, and we prefer it that way to this day.

You can also make many different types of cocktails with it. Check out our wide range of cocktail recipes below.

Where to Purchase Mastiha

Masthia spirits have gained much greater popularity in recent years. This is believed to be due to the trend of creating new and unique cocktails. Mastiha is increasingly seen in bartending competitions worldwide.

As a result, you can easily find Mastiha in most US liquor stores. However, it is fun to bring back from Greece as it is comparatively inexpensive. We always grab some in the duty-free shops before we board the plane in Greece. A sweet grocery store on the main level at the Athens airport has a great selection of Mastiha liquor and other products. Our favorite place to pick up some gifts and snacks for the trip home or a bottle or two to launch our visit.

Places in the US to find Mastiha are Total Wine, or if you don’t want to go out and live in a large city, you can get some delivered often within an hour or two by Drizly.com (Drizly is an affiliate link, and we may earn a small commission if you order from them). Even Amazon.com sells Mastiha Spirits, as well as gum and spices.

Our favorite brand of Mastiha spirits is Skinos. It will also be the easiest to find in the US.

If you are interested in purchasing other mastiha products, especially medicinal ones, check out the Mastiha shop. All the products they carry are fascinating.

May we suggest a few cocktail recipes?

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