I don't know who set me off today on the topic of gum, but I love it. The whole action of chewing just makes me happy, whether it's chicle, betel, coca, or qaat. But today we're talking about gum as in the resinous exudate of trees. #1 (below) is mastic, which is where the word masticate comes from. A sweet called Mastika Gliko, so simple to make. Sugar, water, rosewater, lemon juice and crushed mastic cooked into this sweet chewy confection. I had it once at Francine Segan's house in NY years ago and finally made it. Ah it was a conversation with Liz Vasile this morning that set me off. #2 (above) is much more interesting. I was searching all day for spruce gum. I remember Kennebec years ago, sold in historic houses. And so I set out foraging on campus. I did find a white spruce, with just a little sap dripping, but way too fresh to use. Then I found a monster pine, with a huge yellow streak where sap has been running for a few years. It has to be hard and dry. This was heated in the BBQ in a piece of tin foil pierced a few times, so it dripped into another tin foil lined pan. (Leaving the bark and other junk behind of course.) I then rolled it in sugar flavored with musk and ambergis. REALLY. ThanKs Deana! I've been chewing a piece for the last half hour. Incredible. But #3 was the weirdest of all. A little package of "ediable" gum bought last year in an Indian grocery. It goes into a fried snack mix with nuts, vermicelli and the like. I think. So I fried it up and salted it. YES, fried gum. Crunchy, resiny, really quite nice, though not much to look at. SO dear friends, if you have a real spruce, send me some sap and I'll make you some seriously lovely gum. Forget Bubblicious!
6 comments:
OK, NOW I understand why Becky wants it back from Tom Sawyer. It DOES not wear out at all. Unlike industrial rubber gum, I just put this wad aside and picked it up again. Same flavor. EVERLASTING gobstopper I think. No wonder they dont sell it, you only need one piece! We're talking about spruce gum in the novel.
I can't imagine a more compelling combination. I love the resiny smell of evergreens... Mandy's new fir essence is one of my favorites and I actually made myself a little perfume with fir, ambergris, musk, a dot of oud and fossilized amber ( I now have this scent box full of goodies-- feel like des Essientes!). Must try this candy idea... you are a genius, Mr Ken!!!
Love gum too; we use a few pebbles of mastic gum (from Chios) and a little wax and you get the best chew ever! Will keep an eye out for that tree. As for the concoction with the rosewater, mastic, sugar it is called khabeessa in lebanese pastry shops, sort of like a loukoum
I played around with mastic recently in an ice cream. Grabbing a chunk of resin from a tree is courageous. Come to think of it I would do it too. And I have...needles though to make a essence extract. Keep on chewin!
Mme. Cheap Ethnic, Can you tell me how it's done? With needles? Ken
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