Mastic

Posted on Jun 9, 2010 in Articles | 0 comments

Mastic called the fragrant natural resin extracted from mastic tree.

The tree’s gum, the lentisk, is an evergreen shrub, which can reach 3 meters height. It has branches stretching and light or dark gray trunk, depending on their age. Gets fully developed in 40-50 years and lives about 100 years. From 5th to 6th year gives the resin (mastic) and after the 15th year producing 60 to 250 gr and in rare cases up to 400gr mastic. The surface of the body has irregular blocks, like wrinkles, such as pine.

The mastic tree grows only in southern Chios. According to theory is due to the temperate climate and especially in the microclimate of the area and the submarine volcanoes, and limestone soil.

The collection of mastic is getting by the traditional way. Each June workers flatten the area around the tree and rip the trunk of the tree (10mm-15mm) at certain points once a week for 6-8 weeks. The number of intersections ranges from 20-100 depending on age and size of the tree. The mastic starts to flow in about 20 days stabilizes and getting ready for collection.

Then, starts the collection of coarse mastic (large pieces), the early morning hours in mid-August and its soft mastic from the beginning of September. The cleaning of the mastic starts in October-November immediately after collection. The product is sieved, washed, cleaned carefully, piece by piece by hand, and then promoted to market.

Mastic find many uses. The most widespread of these is a gum or perfume for pastry and is known liqueur mastic. The mastic oil is also used in furniture and musical instruments. Also in medicine, orthodontics, perfumery, etc. In Cyprus, the seeds (beans) of the mastic tree, which resemble to those of pepper, used as a spice in the sausages.