Mastika or mastiha is a liqueur seasoned with mastic, a resin with a slightly pine or cedar-like flavor gathered from the mastic tree, a small evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean region. In Greece, mastiha or mastichato is a sweet liqueur produced with the mastika resin, which is distilled after hardening to crystals. Sugar is typically added. It is a sweet liqueur that is typically consumed at the end of a meal. It has a distinctive flavor, reminiscent of pine and herbs. It is claimed to have medicinal properties and to aid digestion.
WHAT IS MASTIC?
Mastic is the resin from the Schinias region tree, a member of the tree family which also includes Pistachio and Terebinth trees. Resin is the hard crystal-shaped tree drops from various Filion trees. The most well-known resin is frankincense and myrrh, gifts the three wise men gave to humanity, along with gold. This indicates their great worth and value.
People in antiquity recognized these resins’ worth and used them in the making of balsams, medicines, embalming, in disinfecting and in incense burning.
Though the Schinias trees can be found throughout the Mediterranean.
This is attributed to the region’s microclimate, of the selective and systematic cultivation which led to a new type of Schinias tree which is more durable and productive.
Mastic has the title of Protected Designation of Origin and its cultivation is listed in UNESCO’s World Heritage Catalogue.
HISTORY OF MASTIC
From the 5th century BC, when the first reference of it is made in Orpheus’ Hymns, Mastic travelled to all of the Mediterranean. It was the first gum in ancient Greece and used in Roman orgiastic feasts.
It made its way into Alexandrian and Arabic doctors’ recipes, to Franciscan monks’ monasteries, to English noblemen’s drinks, to Christian and Muslim incense rituals, to Andalusian cooks’ recipes, to Ottoman sultans’ harems, to spoons of the Greek coffee shops, Kafeneion, and is now found in the finest bars worldwide.
One of the greatest legends surrounding Mastic is how Christopher Columbus, knowing full well the value of it, presented a Mastic tree, as well as rare spices and exotic fruits, as part of his findings in Cuba, to guarantee continued funding for his trip. The Genoese Columbus knew of the Schinias trees well and had visited Chios, which was under the governance of Genoa at the time. With this ploy, he attempted to prove that his journey, fruitless until then, was actually worthwhile.
The symbolic daughter and noblewoman of Chios, named Mastic by the locals, was first found on distilleries from the early 18th century. Before that there were numerous recipes in which mastic oil was mixed with balsam or spices for therapeutic and even decorative purposes.
Sources: Be a better bartender & Wikipedia
