Today bubble gum is available in a wide variety of flavors, shapes and colors. Chewing gum has come a long way since its flavorless beginnings.
First Gum
Similar to the Greeks, Native Americans made their own substance from the resin of spruce trees. This version was more similar to what we know as gum today than the Greek's version.
Gum in America
Although gum-like substances were being chewed in cultures world-wide, the history of gum in America begins with the Native Americans. The Native Americans concocted their version using the resin of the spruce tree. It became popular with natives and new Americans too.
Improvements
The Native American chewing gum was practically the only kind of gum around until the mid to late 1900s. This gum was flavorless for the most part, and if it did have flavor it did not last very long. During the late 1900s candy companies began experimenting with different flavors.
Substance
The change that paved the way for gum to become a popular type of candy was the use of chicle. Chicle is a gummy substance that is extracted from sapota trees; it had been enjoyed by people in Mexico for decades. Soon after this type of gum was developed it was discovered that if sugar was added, it would absorb flavors that lasted as the gum was chewed.
Today's Recipe
The gum you can buy in stores today is not far from the original chicle concoctions. It is still made with a base of tree resin, but other ingredients are added such as polyvinyl acetate, rubber byproducts, corn syrup and a variety of colors and flavors.
Tags: Native Americans, late 1900s, resin spruce