Mastic is a resin extracted from the trunk of the mastic tree.  The mastic drips out of the mastic tree trunk as if the tree were crying – so the resin is called mastic tears.  Although mastic starts as a liquid, it hardens to the yellowish crystals shown above.  Just like Champagne can only be called Champagne if it comes from the Champagne region of France, true mastic must come from a specific location – the Chios island of Greece.

How Is Mastic Used?

Have you ever seen a photo of chewed gum on a food blog before? I don’t think I have.

Gum: Mastic is the original Winterfresh gum [paid link].  Mastic has been used as a breath freshener for thousands of years.  Pop a mastic crystal (or two or three) into your mouth and start chewing.  The mastic will taste bitter for the first few seconds, but then it turns into a refreshing gum with a flavor that most closely resembles the scent of a pine forest on a winter day.  The more you chew, the more the pine experience intensifies.  After thirty minutes of mastic chewing, I felt like I was lost deep in the woods.  The gum hadn’t shown any signs of flavor loss.