Chios Mastiha Μαστίχα Χίου
Natural tree resin tears from southern Chios, prized globally for singular pine aromas.
- Type
- other
- Designation
- PDO
- Made from
- resin of Pistacia lentiscus var. chia
- Where
- North Aegean
- Season
- harvest-autumn-winter
- Price
- €€€
Taste and texture
Intensely aromatic with cedar, pine, and herbal balsamic notes that soften into a gentle floral freshness. Its texture is hard, brittle, and glassy before chewing.
hard
saltysharpcreamyfruitybittersweetintense
How to buy
Purchase in small tins containing clear, ivory tears; avoid cloudy or discoloured batches.
Ensure the box bears the seal of the Chios Mastic Growers Association and the EU PDO logo.
The rules in short
Harvested entirely in southern Chios by scoring the bark of the local mastic lentisc shrub and collecting the dried teardrops.
Serving ideas
- Ground with sugar and baked into festive tsoureki bread
- Infused into chilled rice puddings and syrups
- Chewed directly as a natural, fragrant gum
Substitutes
frankincense, cardamom.
Read more: Mastic of Chios: The Fragrant Tears of the Aegean.
Cooked in
Check the register. Designations are listed from our own working list and have not yet been checked against the EU register. Check eAmbrosia before relying on a name.