Products from Chios

At such a fragrant place like Chios island, with its Mastichochoria and beautiful gardens, you will have the chance to enjoy many traditional products, most of them grown on its fertile ground. Do not depart the island without chewing the famous masticha, a product unique in the whole world! You can find it in many different versions. Gum, candy, beverage, perfume, soap, make up products, candle, incense, even in some medicines known from the antiquity for their beneficial attributes.

In fact, according to the legend, masticha is Saint Isidoro’s tears and blood, who died next to the trees that masticha is produced form, soon after the Romans had torture him in 225BC. Nowadays, masticha ‘s  production and processing are made by the locals with much love and care. It is worth to visit Mastichochoria in the end of the summer so you can see the cultivators riding their donkeys on their way to the masticha trees.

We would also suggest that you taste the local “ouzo” of Chios and “souma”, a kind of “tsipouro” extracted from figs that prosper in the area. For those of you that have a sweet tooth, a jar of sweet is the most proper gift for the return. Citrus trees are widely cultivated on the island, especially the tangerines that are from our country’s best. Last but not least, you should try some of the local dishes (like rice with eggplants, braised goat or a special specie of squids), at the taverns, always accompanied by fine blood-red wine.