This month, Mastic, or lentisk, scents our stroll around Stavros Niarchos Park with its resinous, spicy aroma, evoking memories of Mediterranean landscapes and hikes across the arid, rocky islands of Greece.
The mastic is an evergreen shrub — or sometimes a small tree — of the genus Pistacia. It features intricate branching, and leathery, deep-green leaves. The plant grows in all types of terrain, requires very little maintenance, and is one of very few plants that visitors can see in almost every part of our Park.
It is a dioecious plant, i.e. it has distinct individual plants of each gender, as does the fig tree, the pistachio and others. Mastic is considered a forest resource, but is also known for its various non-wood products (edible oil, essential oil, fruits, etc.).
Its fruits are initially red and then black when ripe (in September). The ripe mastic fruit has a tart raisin-like flavor and a pleasant smell, and can be eaten raw. Traditionally, the fruit is used as flour supplement in the production of baked goods, while it was also used for oil production in the past. In fact, in the area Afiartis on the island of Karpathos, a Hellenistic-era oil mill was discovered, which was used to process mastic fruit. Due to the strong winds prevailing on the island, olive trees were not widely cultivated, instead substituted by mastic.
Although the plant thrives throughout the Mediterranean, the special variety of mastic (Pistacia lentiscus L. var. Chia) which produces the characteristic mastic “tears” can only be found in the Mastichochoria (Mastic Villages) of Chios, due to the unique microclimate of the southern part of the island. Its traditional harvest has been recognized by UNESCO as a living cultural heritage of humanity. It is a process of a particular technique, which the locals describe as “embroidering” the trunk and letting the mastic “tears” harden to form sparkling crystals. The method of extracting their fragrant substance is handed down orally and empirically from generation to generation. This valuable aromatic resin was recognized in 2015 as a natural remedy.
It is from this variety of mastic that other delicacies are also produced, such as the famous, translucent, aromatic mastiha liquor, and the children’s favorite “ypovrychio” (submarine), a most refreshing sweet treat that slowly melts in one’s mouth, keeping the memory of summer alive as it is drawing to a close.
