Chicle
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 Manilkara chicle
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| 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.Chicle is also found especially in Guatemala.The one in Guatemala is also more expensive. 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 which 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.
Chicle is also a standard word for 'chewing gum' in Spanish. In Portuguese 'chiclete' may be used for a person who is known as a 'pest' or someone who will not leave another person alone.
