Aleppo pine, whose scientific name is “Pinus halepensis”, is a plant belonging to the pine family, typical of the Mediterranean area.
| Domain | Eukaryota |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Division | Pinophyta |
| Class | Pinopsida |
| Order | Pinales |
| Family | Pinaceae |
| Genus | Pinus |
| Species | P. halepensis |
Where is the Aleppo pine located?
Aleppo pine is frequently found in coastal areas of the Mediterranean, particularly in Greece, Italy, Tunisia, Israel, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey.
Generally, it is possible to find this plant along the whole Mediterranean belt: the Aleppo pine grows from sea level up to about 1000-1200 meters, but it has also been found in hills that reach up to 1700 meters, although more rarely, because the difficulty that the plant finds in living in altitudes.
Description of the Aleppo pine
The Aleppo pine plant is characterized by an expanded foliage, rather thin needle-like leaves and from 5 to 10 cm long, a bark with color tending to red, flowers that ripen during the beginning of spring (March and May).
The use of Aleppo pine for the production of Retsina wine
Since ancient times this plant was known for its resin, with a color similar to that of amber and with a pleasantly bitter taste, it was added since the time of the primeval Greeks to the must during fermentation to obtain a wine called “retsina” with a flavor slightly bitter and with a pine aroma, loved by the Greeks for its taste and appreciated for its conservation capacity, due to the resin of the Aleppo pine which, combined with the must, formed in the amphorae a light layer that prevented the wine from contact with air, thus preserving it longer from oxidation.
Retsina is still produced in Greece, drunk and traded beyond national borders, from which it is exported with great success all over the world: this wine remains one of the leading names among the typical wines of Greece.
Other uses (in addition to wine) of Aleppo pine
A typical dish from Tunisia, called “asidet zgougou”, similar to pudding, is also made with Aleppo pine resin.
Other uses other than the culinary type of Aleppo pine are those of an ornamental type, as in the case of the production of bonsai with this plant, or those concerning the use of wood for the creation of furniture, tools, constructions, and fuels.