A creamy, pale-ivory spread made with the aromatic mastic of Chios, the famous resin Greeks call the "tears of Chios." This is the Korakis-Marinos Damla Sakızı Yağlı Macun — a smooth mastic paste blended with mastic oil, packed in a 450g glass jar. The flavor is gently sweet with that unmistakable mastic note: fresh, faintly piney and resinous, cooling on the palate, with a soft cedar-like aroma that lingers. If you have ever tasted mastic ice cream (dondurma) or a mastic-scented Turkish coffee, this is that same character in a spreadable form.What mastic actually is. Mastic (Greek mastiha, Turkish damla sakızı, Arabic مستكة) is a natural resin tapped from the mastic shrub (Pistacia lentiscus var. Chia), which grows on the Aegean island of Chios. "Chios Mastiha" carries EU Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status, and in 2014 UNESCO inscribed the know-how of cultivating Chios mastic on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. It has been prized in Aegean and Eastern-Mediterranean kitchens for centuries — first as a chewing resin, then as the signature aroma in sweets, drinks and breads from Istanbul to Athens.The maker. Korakis-Marinos has been making traditional Chios sweets since 1937, producing preserves and mastic-flavored confections from its Chios workshop. Today the family business runs a modern, ISO-certified facility on the island, near the groves where the raw materials grow.How to enjoy it. Spread it on warm bread, toast, simit or a fresh roll at breakfast. Swirl a spoonful into plain yogurt or labneh, stir it through warm milk, or fold it into rice pudding (sütlaç / muhallebi) and semolina cakes for a deep mastic perfume. It works beautifully alongside Turkish or Greek coffee, drizzled over vanilla ice cream, or as a filling for pastries and cookies. A little goes a long way — mastic flavor is intense.At a glance: 450g · glass jar · made with Chios mastic and mastic oil · product of the Korakis-Marinos workshop, Chios. Reseal and store in a cool, dry place; refrigerate after opening for best freshness.
