Although the long term of hostory may be somewhat vague, there is a significant amount of evidence that chewing gum was enjoyed as far back as the time of the ancient Greeks with a sticky substance which was bade from the resin of the Mastic Tree, a plan which was indigenous to Turkey.

An equivalent ‘gum’ was made in North America where the native Americans chewed on a substance which was made from the resin that was found inside Spruce Trees. This practice of chewing on tree resin carried on up until the early 19th century and it has been recognsed as one of the very first examples of chewing gum.

By the end of of the 19th century Spruce Resin was substituted with Paraffin or an edible wax, however this trend was short-lived. We cam still see similar examples of this in the sweets and candy still available today such as Wax Lips or that retro candy classic – wax bottles.

Chewing gum comes in a wide variety of flavours, but the recipe for each is basically the same. The base is commonly made from resins found in tropical trees which are then mixed in with synthetic materials like polyvinyl acetate, wax or rubber byproducts. The rest of the ingredients consist of a mixture of corn syrup, sugar and of course artificial colours and flavourings.

The base is first melted into a soluble liquid which is then combined with the other byproducts and then stored in a solid block. This block is then combined with colourings, sweeteners and flavourings before it goes to the packaging stage.

The main difference between bubble gum and regular chewing gum is that bubble gum has a base which consists of rubber latex which gives it it’s elasticity. The earliest brands of chewing gum where somewhat challenging to chew as they were fairly hard and the flavour didn’t last for a particularly long time. As the early forms of chewing gum became more and more popular, manufacturers started to experiment with different flavours and softer centres.

The chewing gum that we know and love today is credited to a Mexican general, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. He was to eventually become infamous as one of the many participants of the Alomo. As is common for many great inventions, it’s conception came about very much by accident.

When Antonio was exiled from Mexico he introduced Thomas Adams to Chicle which was a substance that was derived from Saodilla and Sapota trees. Adams wanted to use this substance to find more cost effective ways of manufacturing car tyres. He was unsuccessful in finding a substitute for tyres, however he did end up creating the first mass marketed chewing gum.

In 1880, this successful recipe was modified by William White who combined corn syrup with Chicle and peppermint extract, thus creating the first flavoured gum which was called Yucatan. Chewing gum went on to become a major part of American culture and is credited as being a major force being the vending business.

Author Bio: Dave Matthews is writing on behalf of American Soda, a leading UK importer of American sweets.

Category: Food and Drinks
Keywords: american sweets, candy, sweets, gum, chewing gum, sugar, chocolate, diet, confectionary