Mastika

 Quite often this blog features Greek food, this will be the first of many.

Most people think about ouzo when they think of Greek alcohol. Let me be right up front with you, I hate ouzo. But mastika, I love.

I don't remember the first time I tried mastika, it is used as a flavoring in several food products. Chewing gum and a sweet liquor are probably the most common.

The mastika drink that Andrea found today at Astymart was a revelation, my new favorite thing. Ice cold fizzy lemonade with mastika. I must admit, I had never paired Mastic with lemon, but it is fantastically refreshing. 

A bit more research revealed that mastika is superb with grilled meats. So now I'm thinking of pairing this drink with one of the rotisserie chickens that the butcher prepares on Saturdays. Maybe, just maybe I can convince him to do a lemon chicken.  Sounds heavenly.

Personally I think that mastika really shines with cream. Ice cream flavored with mastic is simply stunning. My favorite dessert of all time, served at the Acropolis museum, had mastka flavored custard over some bird's nest phylo dough. Fresh whipped cream topped the creation. Medium sweet Greek coffee made it absolutely perfect. 

Chios is the island famous for mastic production. It is harvested as a resin from cuts made along the branches of the trees, the oozing sap hardens into little hard crystals. If you buy mastic crystals, soaking them in a liquid, like cream or alcohol, will release it's flavorful essential oil.   You can also crush it into a powder with a mortar and pestle.

The Greeks have used mastika for more than 2000 years.Hippocrates believed that it aided digestion and warded off colds. Maybe it works on Covid too.

More soon.