Chios is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, and its food culture revolves around one ingredient you can’t find anywhere else on earth: mastic. This aromatic tree resin flavors everything from ice cream to liquor, but the island’s cuisine extends well beyond it, drawing on local cheeses, citrus orchards, indigenous grape varieties, and wild coastal herbs.
Mastic: The Flavor That Defines Chios
Mastic is a translucent, tear-shaped resin harvested from trees that only produce usable quantities in southern Chios. The European Commission granted it Protected Designation of Origin status in 1997, meaning only resin from this specific part of the island can legally carry the name “Masticha Chiou.” The flavor is hard to pin down: slightly piney, slightly sweet, with a cooling quality similar to eucalyptus. When you chew the raw resin, it starts brittle and softens into a natural gum.
In the kitchen, mastic works as a substitute for vanilla in almost any baked good. It flavors koulourakia (Greek butter cookies), ice cream, cakes, and traditional breads. Cooks often grind the resin into a fine powder with a pinch of sugar to keep it from clumping, then fold it into dough or batter. You can also make a mastic-infused simple syrup and drizzle it over desserts, stir it into tea, or use it to sweeten coffee.
Mastiha liqueur is the island’s signature spirit, made by steeping the resin in alcohol. It’s traditionally served chilled as an aperitif or after dinner, and it pairs well with grilled meats like souvlaki. Mastic also appears in savory dishes, though its role in sweets and drinks is more prominent.
Mastelo Cheese
Mastelo is a semi-soft white cheese made from local cow’s milk on Chios using a traditional process. It’s salty and highly digestible, with a mild flavor that transforms when heat hits it. Grilling is the preferred method: the cheese softens without fully melting, releasing a rich aroma that plain eating doesn’t reveal. Locals serve grilled Mastelo drizzled with honey and topped with sesame seeds, balancing the salt against something sweet and nutty.
Citrus From the Kampos Orchards
The Kampos district, a flat agricultural area just south of Chios town, has been growing citrus for centuries behind high stone walls that shelter the trees from wind. The orchards produce oranges, mandarins, lemons, bitter oranges, bergamots, grapefruits, and citrons. Bitter oranges and orange blossoms have a particularly deep role in local cooking. Traditionally, blossoms and fruit were placed together in copper cauldrons and distilled into orange blossom water, which flavors pastries and syrups across the island. A classic ratio calls for six parts water to three parts orange blossoms, producing a fragrant liquid that keeps for months.
Citrus preserves, especially spoon sweets made from bitter orange peel, are a staple of Chian hospitality. These thick, syrupy preserves are served in small portions alongside Greek coffee when guests arrive, a tradition common across the Greek islands but taken seriously on Chios because of the quality of locally grown fruit.
Wine From Indigenous Grapes
Chios has a winemaking history that stretches back to antiquity, when “Ariousios wine” was traded across the Mediterranean. The modern revival centers on grape varieties you won’t find on the mainland. Chiotiko Krassero is the island’s most distinctive red grape: indigenous, rare, and demanding. It produces deep red wines with strong structure that need patience to mature. Winemakers blend it with Agiannitis, another rare red Aegean variety that ripens around the feast of St. John the Baptist (late June), to create a wine called “Afstiros.” Agiannitis also stands alone as a rosé.
For whites, Chian vineyards grow Assyrtiko and Athiri, varieties shared with other Aegean islands like Santorini. Avgustiatis, a red variety named for its August ripening, rounds out the island’s small but distinctive grape portfolio. Sun-dried Chiotiko Krassero grapes produce a sweet wine called “Glikazon,” following a tradition of dessert wines common in the eastern Aegean.
Wild Herbs and Coastal Foraging
Like most Aegean islands, Chios has a strong foraging culture. Sea fennel (known locally as kritamo) grows wild along the rocky coastline and is one of the more distinctive ingredients in island cooking. It has a briny, salty flavor with an almost oceanic quality that complements fish and seafood naturally. Locals pickle it in vinegar as a condiment or add it raw to salads. Oregano, thyme, and sage grow wild across the hillsides and find their way into grilled meats, stews, and cheese preparations.
Everyday Chian Cooking
Beyond the headline ingredients, daily food on Chios follows broader Aegean patterns with local twists. Grilled octopus, fresh fish, and lamb dominate protein choices. Tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini appear in nearly every meal during summer, often stuffed with rice and herbs. Olive oil is the default cooking fat. What sets Chian cooking apart from neighboring islands is the frequency with which mastic, local citrus, and Mastelo cheese appear in otherwise familiar Greek dishes, giving the food a flavor profile that’s recognizably different even to visitors who know Greek cuisine well.
Ouzo production on the island also reflects its unique terroir. While ouzo is made across Greece by roughly 300 producers, Chian versions sometimes incorporate mastic alongside the standard anise, fennel, and other botanicals. Each distiller guards their specific blend of aromatic seeds, so the flavor varies from one producer to the next.