Description
The Masticha Chiou PDO is a resin obtained from the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus), an evergreen shrub of the Anacardiaceae family.
Production Area
The production area of the Masticha Chiou PDO is in the southern part of the Chios island, specifically in 24 towns of the Mastichochoria region, in the Northern Aegean Islands.
Production Method
The mastic trees become productive after their fifth year and are submitted to continuous operations and care throughout the year, from pruning through to cleaning of the surrounding ground. The Masticha Chiou PDO is extracted during the summer, by making semicircular cuts on the bark with a special knife called kentitiri, and letting the resin pour out, which then deposits on a layer of argil especially placed on the ground. The gathered resin is collected before the autumn and submitted to treatment for the removal of all impurities. It is then washed with olive oil and natural soaps, dried and stored in wooden boxes.
Appearance and Flavour
The Masticha Chiou PDO comes in drops or in small sizes with a yellowish colour - between transparent and opaque - with a slightly sweet taste and a characteristic scent.
History
The history of the Masticha Chiou PDO is linked to the events of the island Chios, which is actually known as "island of the mastic" (resin). Legend has it that when the Romans captured the saint Agios Isidoros and brought him to his execution place, he was exhausted and started to cry. His tears fell on the pavement and became the aromatic masticha. According to the legend, this would explain why the mastic tree, present in many other places on the Mediterranean, produces mastic only in Chios. This particularity provoked the dispute of the masticha trade, resulting in the numerous invasions of the Chios island: by the Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Venetians, Genoese, and furthermore, the island was submitted to a longlasting Ottoman domination starting in the middle of the 16th century.
Gastronomy
The Masticha Chiou PDO can be used in various ways: in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics production, for the preparation of alcoholic beverages (such as the Chios Masticha and the Masticha Ouzo), as well as sweets, biscuits and ice creams. It is also used as spice for food flavouring. In can be consumed pure, without any chemical or biochemical treatment.
Marketing
The product is sold as Masticha Chiou PDO. It is marketed wholesale in containers of 50 gr or in cardboard boxes of 100 gr or 500 gr, or by retail in small packages of 10 gr, or in fancy sweet-boxes of 20 gr.
Distinctive Features
The father of medicine, Hippocrates, has often underlined the therapeutic properties of the Masticha Chiou PDO, which are still acknowledged. Over time, usage of the Masticha Chiou PDO has become wide-ranging and its production represents a traditional characteristic of the island of Chios.
