The question is as above: can Catholics chew the Eucharist when receiving Our Lord? I’ve been wondering about it lately and have seen several things against it, but from what I could find it’s never really been discussed on Cathinfo.

Accípite, et manducáte ex hoc omnes.

Literal Translation: Take of this all you and chew [in the manner of an animal].

In past times, the custom arose in many places for the laity not to chew the Eucharist in order to avoid any potential profanation. One merely would have the host dissolve on the tongue and then swallow. This was possible since hosts were very thin. With the more recent change in style for altar breads, making the hosts thicker, one must chew the host in order to swallow it.

Yes, it is permissible to chew the Eucharist.

The question is as above: can Catholics chew the Eucharist when receiving Our Lord? I’ve been wondering about it lately and have seen several things against it, but from what I could find it’s never really been discussed on Cathinfo.

I'm not going to say others shouldn't do it, but I don't, myself, I let It soften a bit on my tongue, then press It against the roof of my mouth and swallow It.  I have issues with dry mouth and find it difficult to swallow the Host whole.

Because of a physical condition I have I must chew or I would choke. 

The explanation about et manducáte was very interesting.  I received my First Holy Communion in May of 1959.  During our preparation by the women religious of our parochial school we were taught to swallow the host intact, though one may let it soften, but not to chew, and avoid having it get stuck on the roof of the mouth.  We would practice first with a piece of saltine cracker, then with unconsecrated hosts.  My personal concern about myself chewing would be having particles of the Sacred Host getting stuck between my teeth (if I anticipate eating out, I dare not leave home without dental floss).  One time I attended a Divine Liturgy at a Russian Byzantine Catholic Church (not Ruthenian).  Those that received Holy Communion would afterwards go to a side table and consume a small "shot glass" of unconcentrated wine.  I was told that this was a Russian custom.  It may be a part of other cultural traditions but was told that one of the purposes was to "rinse the mouth" (for lack of a better expression) of the Blessed Sacrament so that it was fully consumed.

I was taught as a little girl to never masticate the Holy Host- and I never did.
I guess for a child it would seem you are doing more violence to Jesus by "chewing" and it was more respectful to (and supported the belief of) His Presence in the Blessed Sacrament to not treat Him like a piece of (common) food.

Exactly!  When I was a child the Host was pure white, paper thin and started to melt the moment it hit your tongue.
Today, the Host is off white/beige, thick and much harder, and takes forever to get it to melt.

The explanation about et manducáte was very interesting.  I received my First Holy Communion in May of 1959.  During our preparation by the women religious of our parochial school we were taught to swallow the host intact, though one may let it soften, but not to chew, and avoid having it get stuck on the roof of the mouth.  We would practice first with a piece of saltine cracker, then with unconsecrated hosts.  My personal concern about myself chewing would be having particles of the Sacred Host getting stuck between my teeth (if I anticipate eating out, I dare not leave home without dental floss).  One time I attended a Divine Liturgy at a Russian Byzantine Catholic Church (not Ruthenian).  Those that received Holy Communion would afterwards go to a side table and consume a small "shot glass" of unconcentrated wine.  I was told that this was a Russian custom.  It may be a part of other cultural traditions but was told that one of the purposes was to "rinse the mouth" (for lack of a better expression) of the Blessed Sacrament so that it was fully consumed.

I assisted at a Ukrainian (Eastern Rite) Divine Liturgy recently, and their Eucharistic bread (prosphora) was very solid.  However, it was somewhat softened from being commingled with the Precious Blood, as is the Eastern practice, and I was able to swallow It almost entirely whole.  I have found the Eastern Rite Eucharist on other occasions to be kind of crumbly, not unlike a small cube of cornbread.  This one was different.

When I was preparing my son for his First Holy Communion several years ago, we "practiced" with plain white bread that I pressed into a thin sheet and then cut out "hosts" using a small medicine bottle.  It wasn't exactly the same as a Eucharistic host but it was the closest thing.

I doubt there would be much risk of missing out on the sacrament, but I do wonder sometimes how long He is actually present for if water or saliva are enough to sufficiently change the accidents. When does His presence cease? [now talking about bread] Is wet bread still bread? How much does bread truly dissolve? If it doesn't ever dissolve in water, but remains soggy, I would be inclined to call it soggy bread. If wet/soggy bread is sufficient corruption of bread to no longer call it bread, then there is a concern there, and it would seem more prudent to receive the Precious Blood, or perhaps more fittingly both combined as the Easterns do.

This from a 1910 edition of Catholic Belief and Practice. I only remembered the part about avoiding teeth.