page_title: Pistacia lentiscus
section_title: Culinary use
hierarchical_section_title: Pistacia lentiscus / Resin / Uses / Culinary use
context_page_description: Pistacia lentiscus is a dioecious evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus Pistacia, growing up to 4 m tall which is cultivated for its aromatic resin, mainly on the Greek island of Chios.
context_section_description: Mastic gum is principally used either as a flavouring or for its gum properties, as in mastic chewing gum.
  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. 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".
  Mastic resin is a key ingredient in Greek festival breads, for example, the sweet bread tsoureki and the traditional New Year's vasilopita. Furthermore, mastic is also essential to myron, the holy oil used for chrismation by the Orthodox Churches. 
  As well as its culinary uses, mastic continues to be used for its gum and medicinal properties. Jordanian chewing gum manufacturer, Sharawi Bros. use the mastic of this shrub as a primary ingredient in their mastic-flavoured products and they distribute the gum to many deli stores worldwide. The resin is used as a primary ingredient in the production of cosmetics such as toothpaste, lotions for the hair and skin, and perfumes.
caption: Mastic resin
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