Recently, archaeologists found 3 wads of 9000-year-old chewed birch resin on a Swedish island. Following investigations by dental experts, they concluded that the pieces of resin were chewed by a young person.
Before World War II, gum was still made from chicle -a form of rubber that could not dissolve in your mouth. One of the advantages of chicle is that it softens when warmed by the heat from the mouth.
After World War II, the demand for gum continued to rise, and chemists began looking for an alternative to chicle. Though some gums are still derived from natural sources, many modern recipes use synthetic rubber bases.
