Chewing gum is made from gum base. At the beginning, the gum bas was usually the sap from trees. Nowadays the base contains manmade polymers.

To make the gum sweet and chewy, natural or artificial sugars, vegetable oil and flavourings are added. The warmth of a person’s mouth makes the hard piece of gum soft and chewy.

Chewing gum has been around for thousands of years. Stone Age people chewed birch bark tar. Scientists have found prehistoric samples of this tar with human teeth marks in them! Because most of these marks are small, scientists think that it was chewed mainly by children and teenagers.

The Ancient Maya Indians of Mexico chewed chicle, which is the sap of sapodilla tree. Natural chicle was the basis of Chiclets gum, which was invented by American Henry Fleer in 1906. Fleer added a sugar coating to the chicle to make it taste better.

The history of chewing gum in North America began with the Native people, who chewed the sap of spruce trees. Settlers picked up the habit from them. From about 1850 to 1930, several American inventors worked to improve the quality and flavour of the gum. In 1871, Thomas Adams invented a machine that would make gum, and in 1888, in New York City, gum was sold for the first time in a vending machine.

Today, people all over the world chew gum!

CHEEWING GUM OR BUBBLE GUM?

The difference between chewing gum and bubble gum is the ability to make bubbles because bubble gum contains higher gum base than chewing gum (Jackson, 1995). Both bubble gum and chewing gum are normally sweetened and many companies add a type of flavoring agent to their gum.

What can deliver a refreshing burst of minty flavour, be used to bait crabs, and in a pinch seal up leaky pipes? If you guessed chewing gum, you are correct.

Here are 10 facts about the versatile treat.

Number 10. It dates back at least 5 thousand years. An archaeology student digging in Finland found a chewed up piece birch bark tar that was enjoyed all those millennia ago. In ancient times it was a popular remedy for oral infections and also used as a kind of glue for pots.

Number 9. It got a global popularity boost during World War 2. William Wrigley was able to talk the powers that be into including gum in American soldiers’ rations. It quickly gained a lot of overseas fans. Before long demand was so large that it caused a strain on the natural base supply, and a synthetic alternative had to be developed. 

Number 8. Sale of gum is mostly forbidden in Singapore. The ban went into effect in 1992 in an effort to keep it from ending up littering the streets and subways. In 2004, special allowances were given, particularly for products that offer health benefits. 

Number 7. Seattle has a gum wall. It was started in the 90s by people waiting in long lines for event tickets and has been growing since. Over the years, some have gotten more elaborate with their contributions, stretching them to form shapes and words. 

Number 6. It doesn’t take 7 years to digest. The sugars, softeners, and flavourings get processed by the body in the usual, timely fashion. The stuff that can’t be broken down, like many gum bases, just travels through the intestinal tract as is, much like a small coin would. 

Number 5. Chewing gum may boost memory. A study showed that participants who chomped away while listening to a number sequence were better at recalling the digits later. It’s believed the chewing gave them a concentration advantage. 

Number 4. Oprah Winfrey fears it. Her phobia is said to stem from her childhood, when her grandmother saved used pieces by sticking them in a cabinet in rows. Back then Oprah was repulsed by it. Now seeing a chewed up wad causes her a great deal of anxiety. 

Number 3. Wrigley didn’t plan on becoming the ruler of the gum universe. His first venture was selling goods like soap. He threw the gum in as a bonus, and it was so popular he eventually decided to make it his primary product. 

Number 2. There’s a biodegradable version. It’s manufactured by a co-operative of Mayan farmers in Mexico and made with a special base ingredient harvested from the chicozapote tree. As a chewed piece dries it becomes less tacky and within a couple of months, turns to dust. 

Number 1.According to a report published in 1999, 560 thousand tons are consumed annually. That’s around 374 billion individual pieces of gum, and roughly 187 billion hours of chewing.

What’s your favourite thing about chewing gum?