chicle

 

(chĭk'əl) , name for the gum obtained from the latex of the sapodilla tree (Manilkara zapota), a tropical American evergreen. The sapodilla (known also by many other common names) is widely cultivated in tropical regions, including S Florida, for its fruit, which is plum-sized with translucent yellow-brown flesh. Large-scale cultivation of the tree for latex is impractical because it can be tapped only infrequently and varies widely in yield. Chicle is collected during the rainy season from wild trees in the rain forests. Natives, called chicleros, cut zigzag gashes in the tree trunk and collect the sap in bags. The collected material is boiled until it reaches the correct thickness and is then molded into blocks. These are exported, chiefly to the United States, for use in making chewing gum. Unsystematic and excessive tapping of the sapodilla (especially in the Yucatán peninsula, where it was most abundant) is leading to its depletion and has necessitated increasing use of chicle substitutes from other latex-producing plants.

Chicle
Manilkara chicle
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Ericales Family: Sapotaceae Genus: Manilkara Species: M. chicle
Binomial name
Manilkara chicle (Pittier) Gilly

Chicle is the natural gum from Manilkara chicle, which is a tropical evergreen tree native to southern North America and South America. It was traditionally used in chewing gum. While the Wrigley Company was a prominent user of this material, today there are only a few companies that still make chewing gum from natural chicle. This is because by the 1960s chicle was replaced by butadiene-based synthetic rubber (this was cheaper to manufacture).

Chiclets are named after chicle.

The name "chicle" comes from the Nahuatl word for the gum, tziktli ['ʦikt͡ɬi], which can be translated as "sticky stuff". Chicle was well known to the Nahuatl-speaking Aztecs and to the Maya (Amerindians), and early European settlers prized it for its subtle flavour and high sugar content.

Locals who collect chicle are called chicleros.

The tapping of the gum is similar to the tapping of latex from the rubber 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. Due to widespread tapping, the Manilkara chicle tree has become scarce and other sources like the related balatá (Manilkara bidentata) are increasing in use.

Donate to Wikimedia