Mastiha, often referred to as the “Tears of Chios” or the “White Gold of Greece,” is a product made exclusively on the Greek island of Chios. Mastic is used as flavoring in many sweets and drinks, most famously in Mastiha, a digestive liquor from Chios. The mastic “tears,” or small bits of hardened tree sap, can also be chewed like gum, a practice dating back thousands of years. Preparation begins in fall, when the tree bark is scored by a needle-like tool. In response to drops in mastic prices in the nineteenth century, a cooperative called the Chios Gum Mastic Growers Association was formed.