Gum Mastic – 10g

Gum Mastic is a ingredient that not many people know about outside of the region it is from. It is popular in North African and Mediterranean cuisine where it brings a unique quality to foods. Not only does it impart a woody, pine like flavour, but it also modifies the foods texture, creating a more chewy and elastic feel. Not only is this good for making unique dishes, but it also acts as a stabilizer for sweets, ice creams, sauces and more. It is, however, very strong, so a little will go a long way.

Gum Mastic is often used in Turkish Delight to get that mouth feel, or when they make dondurma (stretchy ice cream). You can also use it to add a refreshing flavour that can be anywhere from woody pine to citrus to balsamic. It will bring a mouthwatering scent to bakery goods such as brioche, cookies, cakes and tsoureki (a sweet holiday bread). Some people use the pieces (or tears, as they are often called) as chewing gum, freshening breath. They’ll also gain some anti oxidant, anti inflammatory and anti bacterial benefits too!

About Gum Mastic

There is only one place in the world that Gum Mastic comes from. Chia trees growing only on the Aegean Island of Chios provides the the whole worlds harvest! These yellow crystals are the natural resin the tree produces and are a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) product. Packs are small at 10g, but you don’t usually need to use much to get the effect. The tears will become sticky when you start to grind them, so chefs often mix with sugar or salt first. This stops them, becoming a gooey mess! You can also freeze them first to ensure they grind down before becoming tacky. If you’re looking for some Mediterranean authentic ingredients, this qualifies perfectly!