Natural Mastic Resin

✨ Natural Mastic Resin — The Fragrant Tears of the Lentisk Tree

Natural Mastic Resin is the aromatic resin of the lentisk tree, Pistacia lentiscus, known in Darija as الضرو (drou). In Morocco the resin is called المسكة الحرة (mska horra) or simply المسكة (meska). It is also known as mastic gum, mastiha, Chios mastic, المستكة, المصطكى and العلك الرومي, and in French as gomme mastic. The tears are small, rounded or drop-shaped and pale lemon yellow, with a frosted surface and a translucent heart. Chewed, they soften into a natural gum with a fresh, pine-like and slightly balsamic taste; warmed on charcoal, they release a clean, sweet resinous scent.

🌿 Traditional and Cultural Uses

Mastic has been treasured around the Mediterranean since antiquity. It was chewed as the original chewing gum, and generations used it to freshen the breath and keep the mouth clean. In Arab and Mediterranean folk tradition it was also taken for digestive comfort after heavy meals.

In Moroccan homes, mska horra is a precious pantry ingredient for festive sweets, milk desserts and holiday baking, where a few tears perfume a whole pot. Grandmothers also dropped a tear or two into the majmar with frankincense or benzoin to scent the house before guests arrived, and in many North African and Middle Eastern homes clay water jars were traditionally smoked with mastic to give the water a delicate fragrance.

🍵 How to Use

• 🍬 Chew one or two tears as a natural gum. They are brittle at first and soften after a minute.
• 🍮 Grind and add to mhalbi, rice pudding, ice cream, custards and milk drinks.
• 🥐 Add a pinch of ground mastic to brioche, festive breads, cookies and pastries.
• 🔥 Place one or two tears on a hot charcoal disc in a majmar to scent a room.

🧴 How to Grind Mastic

1. Put the tears in the freezer for a few minutes so they become brittle.
2. Pound them in a mortar with a teaspoon of sugar, which stops the resin from sticking.
3. Use the powder straight away. A little goes a long way, so start small.

🥣 Recipe: Mhalbi with Mastic

1. Dissolve 4 tablespoons of cornstarch in a glass of cold milk taken from 1 litre.
2. Heat the rest of the milk with 4 tablespoons of sugar.
3. Pound 2 to 3 small mastic tears with a teaspoon of sugar and stir them into the warm milk.
4. Pour in the cornstarch mixture and stir over low heat until the cream thickens.
5. Add a tablespoon of orange blossom water, pour into small bowls and chill. Finish with chopped pistachios or a dusting of cinnamon.

🧾 Ingredients

One ingredient: natural mastic resin tears, with nothing added.

🔬 Product Profile

Mastic is the dried resin that seeps from the bark of the lentisk, an evergreen shrub of the Anacardiaceae family, the same family as the pistachio. The lentisk grows wild around the Mediterranean, including North Africa, and the most famous mastic comes from the Greek island of Chios. It is sold here as whole, natural resin tears.

📦 How We Sell It

Whole, loose mastic tears, sold by weight in small quantities: 1g, 2g, 3g, 4g, 5g, 6g, 7g, 8g, 9g or 10g. Because only a few tears flavour a whole dessert, even a small amount lasts.

🌤️ Storage

Keep mastic in an airtight jar in a cool, dry, dark place, away from heat and strong smells. Warmth softens the tears and makes them stick together, so in hot summer months keep the closed jar in the fridge. Stored well, mastic keeps its aroma for a long time.