Where does gum come from?

Gum was originally produced using latex sap from trees in the Amazon Valley, Central America, Indonesia, Malaya or British Borneo. In the mid-20th century, scientists discovered a technique for making synthetic rubber, which is the main gum base in most of today's gums.

The first evidence of gum in history is found in ancient Greek culture, where a gummy substance called mastiche was chewed. The Mayans also had their own chewing gum customs from about the second century on, chewing a substance called chicle. Native American Indians in the New England region had their own chewing gum custom; their gum was made from the resin of spruce trees.