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Chicle (/ˈtʃɪkəl/) is alatex traditionally used in makingchewing gum and other products.[1] It is collected from several species ofMesoamerican trees in the genusManilkara, includingM. zapota,M. chicle,M. staminodella, andM. bidentata.[2][3]
The tapping of the gum is similar to the tapping of latex from therubber tree:zig-zag gashes are made in the tree trunk and the dripping gum is collected in small bags. It is then boiled until it reaches the correct thickness. Locals who collect chicle are calledchicleros.
The wordchicle comes from theNahuatl word for the latex,tzictli[ˈt͡sikt͡ɬi], which can be translated as "sticky stuff". Alternatively, it may have come from theMayan wordtsicte.[4] Chicle was well known to theAztecs and to theMaya, and early European settlers prized it for its subtle flavor and high sugar content. The word is used in the Americas and Spain to refer to chewing gum,chicle being a common term for it inSpanish andchiclete being thePortuguese term (both in Brazil and in parts of Portugal; other areas also use the termchicla). The word has also been exported to other languages such asGreek, which refers to chewing gum asτσίχλα (tsichla).
Both theAztecs andMaya traditionally chewed chicle. It was chewed as a way to stave off hunger, freshen breath, and keep teeth clean.[5] Chicle was also used by the Maya as a filling fortooth cavities.[6]
TheAmerican Chicle Company, incorporated in June 1899, was the first prominent commercial user of this ingredient in the production of chewing gum. Its brand name,Chiclets, is derived from the word chicle.
In response to a land reform law passed in Guatemala in 1952 which ended feudal work relations and expropriated unused lands and sold them to the indigenous and peasants, theWilliam Wrigley Company discontinued buying Guatemalan chicle. Since it was the sole buyer of Guatemalan chicle, the government was forced to create a massive aid program for growers.[7]
By the 1960s, most chewing gum companies had switched from using chicle tobutadiene-basedsynthetic rubber, which was cheaper to manufacture. Only a handful of small gum companies still use chicle, including Gud Gum, Glee Gum, Simply Gum, and Tree Hugger Gum.[8]
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