A 5,000-year-old piece of chewing gum, one of the oldest ever to be discovered, has been found by a British archaeology student.
The discovery of the Neolithic gum, made from birch bark tar, was made by Sarah Pickin, 23, during an excavation in Yli-Ii, Finland. The gum had tooth prints in it. [Guardian]
Chewing gums have been used in Ancient Greece, made from the resin of the mastic tree. Some historians actually suggested that the use of chewing gum could date back to 9,000 years ago in Europe, but no solid findings are discovered yet.
Modern day’s chewing gum is evolved from the American Indians who chewed resin made from the sap of spruce trees. Attempts were made around 1850s in US to commercialize chewing gum; the real success came in late 1860s when chicle was introduce as the raw material.
Most chewing gum companies these days have switched to synthetic gum bases, only a few are still using 100% chicle.