One of the best-selling chewables in the world, the gum , has an uncertain origin. Its popularity, linked to the behavior of young Americans, makes us think that the first consumers of this product were the inhabitants of the USA. But archaeological studies and other forms of historical studies prove that the practice of chewing gum dates back thousands of years.
In 2007, a British archeology student, Sarah Pickin , found in excavations carried out at a site in western Finland a birch bark gum with teeth marks. This mark led archaeologists to claim that it was a human tooth, indicating a possible habit of chewing the gum. They also knew that the birch resin, which originated the gum, was also used to repair ceramics and to glue arrowheads. In the case of use as a chewing gum, the archaeologists claim that birch bark has phenols , antiseptic substance. The use of birch gum, according to studies, would treat gum infections .
In addition to this case discovered in Finland, it is also known that the Greeks had the habit of chewing gum from the resin of a tree they called Mastich . That was about 2,500 years ago.
However, the popularization of the use of chewing gum, known as bubblegum, was due to the Americans and the ability of capitalists in that country to create habits of mass consumption. In 1848, John Curtis created Pure Spruce Gum , the first gum to be marketed. In the 1860s, an inventor named Thomas Adams Jr. had contact with a product taken from Mexico by General Antonio López de Santa Anna , a gum made from the resin of sapoti (in Brazil also known as sapotizeiro).
In the region where Mexico is now located, the habit of chewing sapodilla gum dates back to the Mayans, who used it as a way of refreshing the mouth during long walks, in addition to the fact that gum stimulate the production of saliva, decreasing the feeling of thirst. The habit was passed on to the Aztecs and later to the Spanish settlers.
But the use of sapodilla gum as a chewing gum only came to Adams when he saw a girl buying chewing paraffin in a pharmacy. . The sapodilla gum was refreshing, unlike paraffin, which ensured it success. Then Adams added liqueur to the gum, changing its flavor.
From there, several changes emerged. In 1928, Walter Diemar discovered the recipe to make ball gum , giving the gum a shocking pink color, as it was the only food coloring I had on hand, creating the image of chewing gum that comes to almost everyone's mind when they think about the product. In 1950, sugar-free gum reached the market and, in 1996, the first gum with nicotine was launched , used by smokers to alleviate the effects of substance withdrawal.
However, the popularization took place with the American military who participated in World War II , who used and distributed chewing gum in the places where they fought. From then on, the use became worldwide, being associated with the figure of the rebellious youth of the 1950s, which he found in the Hollywood stars the ideal way to behave socially.