Mastic ice creams facts for kids
Mastic ice cream is a special kind of ice cream. It's known for being super stretchy and sticky! This unique texture comes from a special ingredient called "Mastic". Mastic is a natural gum, like a resin, that comes from a tree called Pistacia lentiscus.
Besides mastic, these ice creams often use ingredients like Salep (a type of flour from orchid roots) or cornstarch, and rose water. These ingredients, especially the mastic resin, give the ice cream its unique stretchy feel. Most other ice creams are more airy, but mastic ice cream is different. It's very popular in Middle Eastern cuisine.
Today, real mastic gum can be quite expensive and hard to find. So, some ice cream makers use other ingredients like glucose to make their ice cream stretchy and sticky, similar to how mastic would.
History of Mastic Ice Cream
Mastic ice cream first came from Turkey. It was invented during the time of the Ottoman Empire, about 300 years ago! In Turkey, this ice cream is called "Dondurma". For many years, the recipe was a secret.
In Turkey, Dondurma is often kept in big containers. People stir it constantly with huge spoons to keep it from getting too firm. Sometimes, it's even served on a plate with a knife and fork because it's so thick and chewy!
Dondurma is super popular in Turkey. You can find street stalls selling it, sometimes with hot chocolate syrup poured over it. Ice cream sellers often put on fun shows for tourists. They juggle the ice cream because it's so flexible and doesn't melt quickly! This ice cream is so famous that a neighborhood in Istanbul is even known as "Dondurma".
Booza: Syrian Mastic Ice Cream
Around the mid-1800s, a merchant from Syria brought the secret Dondurma recipe from Turkey to Damascus. There, he created a slightly different version. This Syrian ice cream is called "Booza".
Booza is a bit softer and more airy than the Turkish Dondurma. From Damascus, Booza spread to other Arab countries. In the Middle East, you'll mostly find the Arabic version (Booza). But in the Far East, the Turkish Dondurma is more common.
Related Ice Creams
