How do cud? How to make the cud?

If you ask any passerby what America is famous for, then for sure he will name three things - jeans, "McDonald's" and chewing gum. And this is absolutely true. That's just about the last celebrity and we'll lead our story. From what and how do the cud, is it really useful and can it be done on its own? And also you will learn a few interesting facts about the sweet and tasty smelling gum that won adults and children around the world.

And why would such a chew?

Today it is difficult to say how long ago and where the gum appeared. Our ancestors discovered it for themselves a few thousand years ago. True, she looked completely different from her contemporary, but still she benefited a lot. Basically gum was used as resin trees. She helped clean teeth of plaque, freshened her breath and disinfected the mouth, because the resin is an excellent antiseptic. In the northern regions of our country, especially in villages, many residents still know perfectly well what sulfur is (deciduous tree resin). Some people preferred wax, others, such as the Maya tribes, dried up the juice of a rubber tree. It was from him that the generation of modern chewing gums went. For sure, each of us will be interested in knowing how to make chewing gum today.

A bit of history

In the mid-19th century, John Curtis made the first attempt to produce gum from wood tar, but the business failed and the plant soon closed. But Thomas Adams was able to fully implement the idea of his predecessor. But here to do the chewing gum he began already from rubber with the addition of the taste of liquorice. After only a few dozen years, the elastic got a pleasant taste and aroma, it was wrapped in a beautiful wrapper and widely popularized among the inhabitants of America. Needless to say, it quickly gained recognition and soon spread around the world.

Interesting fact:

• Chewing gum is considered a symbol of America thanks to the world famous company Wrigley. She decided to present to everyone who crossed the border of the United States, a chewing plate as a gift (well, for the purposes of self-promotion, of course).

What do we chew?

So how do the chewing gum today? The basis for production is synthetic materials, which include a mixture of plasticizers, resins, elastomers and other additives, which are often derived from petroleum products. Simply put, it's rubber and plastic. The mixture is thoroughly cleaned, and then the sweetener is added-sugar or dextrose, various flavors, flavoring additives and, of course, food coloring. The mass is heated and thoroughly kneaded to become uniform and elastic.

How to make chewing gum in the future? It is driven through a special press that forms long rubber bands, and a special device cuts them into portions. After the elastic band wrapped in a beautiful wrapper, packaged in boxes and in this form it will arrive on the shelves of stores.

Interesting fact:

• The usual chewing gum saved the plane from crash in 1911. With its help, resourceful Englishmen formed a hole in the engine and the tragedy was avoided. The news spread to all corners of the world. Quite an advertisement for chewing gum, is not it?

Should I believe in advertising?

Certainly, having learned about what chewing gum is made of, you will have a question about whether such a product is really useful, because there are so many additives in it, and it's probably not useful to chew the rubber. Perhaps someone knows if it is possible and how to make chewing gum at home?

The benefits and harm of chewing gum spores continue for many years. Like any product, it has its advantages: it is really capable of cleaning tooth enamel from plaque. And its disadvantages: the manufacturer may not be completely honest and add to the treat delicious additives. When you send a chewing plate to your mouth, your brain thinks it's lunch time and starts preparing the body for food. Yes, only food does not enter the stomach, and it can easily provoke a gastritis or an ulcer.

But it is interesting, from what do the chewing gum "Orbit"? After all, dentists around the world recommend! If you are sincere to the end, then this chewing gum will not protect your teeth, but will simply destroy enamel less than any other. Its composition differs by only one - the use of a sugar substitute. In the bulk of chewing gum is added exactly sugar, and it has a bad effect on tooth enamel.

Interesting fact:

• It is often believed that the pink color of the chewing gum is because it is a symbol of youth, tenderness and love. But in fact, the first chewing gum was pink only because it was the only paint that was available to its creator at that time.

We make chewing gum ourselves

Resourceful minds do not sit idly by. There are many ideas of how to make homemade chewing gum yourself. To do this you will need a bag of gelatin, water, ½ cup of powdered sugar, 20 g of beeswax, 100 g of honey in bees.

Gelatin should be poured with a small amount of water for swelling. Honeycombs cut into pieces, put in a sleeve for baking and sent to a microwave oven, so that the mass melted. Now it needs to add gelatin and wax. For a few minutes stir the mass until all the ingredients dissolve. Cool, and then send the cud to the refrigerator for half an hour. It remains to cut it into small portions and sprinkle with powdered sugar so that they do not stick together.

By the way, you can make not only edible gum. There's a lot of video on the web about how Mr. Max does the chewing gum. This is an excellent educational toy for the whole family.

Interesting fact:

• Once, in order to clean the sidewalks in Beijing from chewing gum, it was spent about 120,000 dollars. Since then, the guardians of the order fined all who dare to spit out the chewing gum on the streets of the city.