chewing gum

Chewing Gum

Chewing gum has been an old tradition all the way back before the Europeans discovered North America. In our time, it is enjoyed by people young and old and comes in many varieties. But what some people don't know is why gum is pink. Or maybe what gum was like before the version we chew today. These are some of the things we don’t think about even when the chewing gum is in our mouths. There are also things we didn’t even know what we are even putting in our mouths. To add to the curiosity of chewing gum, many don’t even know that gum was invented purely by accident. All of the wonders of chewing gum will soon be put to an end and will be transformed into knowledge as I guide you through the world of chewing gum.

So how did chewing gum even get started? For centuries, the ancient Greeks chewed a gummy substance locally known as Mastiche. Mastiche was derived from the resin of the mastiche tree. The word “mastic” was derived from the Greeks, which means “to chew”. Like the Greeks chewed mastiche, the ancient Mayans started chewing chicle which was produced from the sap of the Sapodilla tree. This was their version of chewing gum as they copied the creation from the Greeks. The North American Indians even used to chew the sap from spruce trees. Likewise, in India, they chewed betel. As the demand increased for these products, the quantity of chicle fell. The chicle-supplier’s ability to supply chicle was as limited as the trees from which it was derived which led to the discontinuation of tree-based gum temporarily.

The new and improved version of chewing gum was created by a pioneer family, a Mexican general, an accountant, a travelling salesman and believe it or not, a dentist. The first commercial chewing gum made ...

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...gum. It is all blended together with the manufacturer’s secret ingredients. It is thoroughly mixed until it is the same consistency of bread dough. As the gum is made, one question has lingered in people’s minds as they chew their bubble gum. Why is gum pink? It is because the only dye Walter Diemer had on hand at the factory was pink and it also happened to be his favourite colour. To this day, pink remains the industry standard.

In the world of gum, we have sugarless gum, organic gum, all-natural gum, bubble gum, the regular chewing gum and many more to come. But recently Wrigley has secured a patent for biodegradable gum, which will attempt to rid the streets of black spots from old spit out gum. Next time you chew gum think about how it’s prepared, where it came from and how long people have been enjoying it because you are keeping up with a really old trend.