Chewing Tobacco

Chewing tobacco has a very long and complex history. The Indigenous people of the Americas were the first known users of tobacco, including chewing it as early as 3000 BCE. Native American tribes used tobacco for spiritual, medicinal, and recreational purposes. They often mixed it with other herbs and chewed or smoked it in rituals.

It was then introduced to Europe by explorers like Chirstopher Columbus, who arrived in the Americas in the late 15th century, they encountered tobacco use and brought it back to Europe. By the 16th century, chewing tobacco became popular in Spain, France and England.

Chewing tobacco became widespread in the U.S. during the 1700s and 1800s, especially among farmers, laborers, and soldiers. Spittoons were created and found in public spaces like saloons, trains, and government buildings to accommodate users.

In the early 1900s, chewing tobacco was the dominant form of tobacco use in the U.S. However, the rise of cigarettes in the mid-20th century led to a decline in chewing tobacco use. By the 1970s and 1980s, smokeless tobacco saw a resurgence, especially among athletes and workers who can’t find time to smoke a cigarette.

Despite the health risks associated with tobacco, there are some positive reasons to chew tobacco:

Nicotine Boost - Provides a stimulating effect, increasing alertness and focus.

Stress Relief - It is believed that chewing tobacco can help you relax and reduce anxiety.

Appetite Suppressant - Nicotine can reduce hunger, which some people use as a weight control method.

Alternative to smoking - Some see it as a smokeless alternative, it avoids inhaling smoke so in theory, better for your lungs.

Chewing tobacco can come in little white bags that you chew and then spit out. These can be flavoured to make the taste more enjoyable. It can come as a rope of tobacco which you cut and chew for a pure tobacco taste.

Click here to view our range of chewing tobacco

Written by Oliver Partington