Welcome to the world of “ mastiha Chiou”, referring to the fact that it is mastic produced on the North Aegean island of Chios. There’s no need to be that specific, of course, because despite the tree growing in other parts of the Mediterranean, no one else has come close to cultivating it. So much so that UNESCO has included Chios’ mastic cultivation on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, to raise awareness of its significance and safeguard the future of a process that has remained largely unchanged since Byzantine times. Theopompus returned to Chios with the other exiles in 333 BC after Alexander had invaded Asia Minor and decreed their return, [25] as well as the exile or trial of Persian supporters on the island. Theopompus was exiled again sometime after Alexander's death and took refuge in Egypt. [26] Chios Mastic Museum unveils the secrets of Mastiha cultivation and introduces us to the Culture of Mastiha, as a whole way of life, characterisitic of this small part of the world. The know-how of Chios mastic cultivation was inscribed in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2014.

The length of use varies depending on your condition. The first results should appear after a few days. in confectionery for the preparation of a large number of sweets, confectionery and aromatic pastries, while in cooking, it gives a distinctive aroma to meat, cheese or as a spice. The most well-known Greek mastic sweets are tsoureki (Greek brioche), Greek loukoumi delight with mastic taste, and mastihopita (a type of pie). Apart from its medicinal properties and cosmetic and culinary uses, mastic gum is also used in the production of high-grade varnish. [ citation needed] It was affected also by the population exchange after the Greco–Turkish War of 1919–1922, with the incoming Greek refugees settling in Kastro (previously a Turkish neighborhood) and in new settlements hurriedly built south of Chios town. Chios mastic has been known for its medicinal properties (such as healing stomach pain and inflammatory bowel disease) and since ancient times has been used for natural remedies preparation.

Summary

Christophorus Plato Castanis (1814–1866), Ottoman Greek academic, author and classicist, as well as former slave, orphan and refugee to the United States Bebb JR, Bailey-Flitter N, Ala'Aldeen D, Atherton JC (September 2003). "Mastic gum has no effect on Helicobacter pylori load in vivo". J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 52 (3): 522–3. doi: 10.1093/jac/dkg366. PMID 12888582. Triantafyllou, A., Chaviaras, N., Sergentanis, T. N., Protopapa, E., and Tsaknis, J. Chios mastic gum modulates serum biochemical parameters in a human population. J Ethnopharmacol. 4-20-2007;111(1):43-49. View abstract.

Gönderen Burçin ÇOKUYSAL (1923-03-20). "ECOLOGIC EVALUATION OF Pistacia lentiscus (MASTIC) IN ÇEŞME PENINSULA". Burcincokuysal.blogspot.com . Retrieved 2013-06-18. According to the 2011 census, Chios has a permanent resident population of 52,674. [48] Government [ edit ] View of Oinousses Amiri M, et al. (2016). Cytotoxic effects of the ethanol bane skin extract in human prostate cancer PC3 cells. DOI: TEMA Foundation. "Sakız Ağaçlarına Sevgi Aşılıyoruz Projesi'nde yeni bir dönem başlıyor". Archived from the original on 2014-07-14 . Retrieved 2014-06-06. Researchers in a small 2014 study looked at the effect of three types of mastic gum on both the pH and bacteria level found in saliva. Depending on their group, participants chewed pure mastic gum, xylitol mastic gum, or probiotic gum three times daily for three weeks.

Mastic gum is a superfood

Spyridopoulou K, et al. (2017). Dietary mastic oil extracted from Pistacia lentiscus var. chia suppresses tumor growth in experimental colon cancer models. DOI: Mahmoudi, M., Ebrahimzadeh, M. A., Nabavi, S. F., Hafezi, S., Nabavi, S. M., and Eslami, Sh. Antiinflammatory and antioxidant activities of gum mastic. Eur.Rev.Med Pharmacol.Sci 2010;14(9):765-769. View abstract. As a spice, it continues to be used in Greece to flavour spirits and liqueurs (such as Chios's native drink mastiha), chewing gum, and a number of cakes, pastries, spoon sweets, and desserts. Sometimes, it is even used in making cheese. [11] Mastic resin is a key ingredient in dondurma and Turkish puddings, giving those confections their unusual texture and bright whiteness. In Lebanon and Egypt, the spice is used to flavour many dishes, ranging from soups to meats to desserts, while in Morocco, smoke from the resin is used to flavour water. In Turkey, mastic is used as a flavor of Turkish delight. Recently, a mastic-flavoured fizzy drink has also been launched, called "Mast". [ citation needed] Alexandros Georgios Paspatis (1814–1891), linguist, historian and physicia