With the world going the way of ultimate health trends and getting back to more earthy, natural practices, it only makes sense that old mastic would be brought to everyone’s attention. Using mastic will soon be a part of nearly everyone’s health regimen. What is mastic?
Pistacia Lentiscus - Mastic Trees; an evergreen shrub that grows to 15 feet tall on the Greek island of Chios. It emits a clear, pale yellow sap in small amounts called teardrops. These crystalline teardrops are categorized in two groups; flintstones and blisters. Flintstones are bigger and blisters are smaller; they all are round, pear-shaped or oblong and pea-sized, and blisters may have spots on them. Flintstones or blisters that are white or partially white are inferior and shouldn’t be used, but some come with a light dusting on them, and that‘s okay.
Raised on the island of Chios (where the trees are cultivated for commercial purposes), the best mastic is said to come from the trees of the south side of the island, in particular. Early in the day cultivators make up to 100 small cuts in the bark of the shrubs (called ‘hurting‘ the trees) - which alone can produce up to 10 pounds of teardrops per season - and allow the sap to drip out and build up. In July and August the sap will be harvested and cleaned before being spread out in the sun to dry and package for sale.
Many Uses Define Mastic
Mastic has been used medicinally for centuries and is touted to be somewhat of a super-food around the world. It has many medical uses from weight-loss to curing athlete’s foot to curing cancer and bad breath. The GMGA (Gum Mastic Growers Association) lists over 60 uses for the natural wonder-sap, and here are just some of the more general uses besides the obvious natural chewing gum:
It’s a relatively expensive spice
- Flavoring in mastic liquor
- Used in Turkish mastic ice cream and puddings
- Breads and baked goods
- Toothpaste
- Cosmetics
- Lotions
- Perfumes
- In soups, meats and desserts
- A stabilizer in paints and varnishes especially the ones used for musical instruments
- Ingredient in tires
- Soaps
- Insecticides
- Electrical insulators
- Used highly in the tanning, weaving and beekeeping industries
- A material dentists use in fillings
- An embalming agent
- Hundreds more
And there’s the tons of medical uses as well as culinary uses as a spice! It allegedly cures ulcers, IBS, high cholesterol, yeast infections, mouth sores, gastric illnesses, shingles and a host of other ailments. Mastic is known to be antibacterial and antifungal and is used in holistic medicine to treat a variety of ailments.
Get Your Own Mastic Teardrops
It’s sold by the tear and by weight when powdered. It must be ground or powdered to use in food recipes, unless the user found some in paste form. Or the user can simply chew it. When chewed, mastic’s flavor is initially bitter, then releases flavors of pine and licorice, with a strong fresh scent and flavor that lasts for half an hour. High quality mastic is said to have a slight edge of bitterness and sometimes a hint of vanilla, too. From being chewed the mastic will turn an opaque white, and when powdered it’s a white powder.
It’s important to know that cooking with resin can quickly ruin the pan, so it’s advised to use a pan that’s only for the purpose of cooking resin. Using the paste form can alleviate that problem for the cook.
Trendy it is, as mentioned before, and there are many specialty stores and websites that carry inventory of mastic products only. It’s easy to find, but if a purchase is wanted, make sure the site is reputable before typing in credit card numbers. Of course, going to buy it in person is always best, but that can’t always be done. It should have very few/no other ingredients, as well.
Sources:
Encyclopedia of Spices, "Mastic," published 2005, no author listed, accessed on 12/27/2010 at 2:15pm
Ideas In Food, "Mastic," by Aki Kamozawa, published at 12:25am on 03/06/2008, accessed on 12/28/2010 at 2:45pm.
" Mysterious Mastic Tree," by Katrina, no publishing date given, accessed on 12/27/2010 at 12:30pm.
Greek Food, "Mastiha: Gum Mastic," by Nancy Gaifillia, no publish date given, accessed on 12/27/2010 at 2:00 pm.
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