Maple Syrup

Maple syrup is a viscous liquid sweetener produced from the sap of certain trees in the hard maple trees group.

It has a more complex taste than many other sweeteners, with a range of flavour notes in it.

Some fans call it “Magic Tree Sauce”.

Imitation maple syrup

Imitation maple syrup is often made with fenugreek seed and lovage:

“Imitation maple syrup is based on corn syrup with added artificial colorings and flavorings. The flavorings include extracts of fenugreek (a spice) or lovage (an herb).” ^[1]Ball, David. (2007). The Chemical Composition of Maple Syrup. Journal of Chemical Education – J CHEM EDUC. 84. 10.1021/ed084p1647. Page 3.

The compound in each which lends maple syrup flavour note is called “sotolon.”

Cooking tips

You can generally use maple syrup as you would another syrup. Bear in mind though that its distinctive flavour may or may not be appropriate for all dishes.

Maple syrup has a more delicate flavour than honey, but still if you use too much, like perfume, it can be too much of a good thing.

“He [chef Laurent Godbout of Montreal] suggests that any time you’re serving a dish made with maple syrup, it’s a good idea to accompany it with something slightly acidic to balance the sweetness… If you cook maple syrup dishes slowly at lower temperatures, it doesn’t burn easily, he says. But at higher temperatures, you have to watch it like any other products with high sugar content. He prefers to use amber syrup to cook with. It has the full rich flavour he wants and because it’s a little stronger than the lighter colours, he doesn’t have to use quite as much.” ^[2]Greer, Susan. Cooking with Maple syrup, the signature ingredient of Canadian cuisine. Ottawa, Canada: The Ottawa Citizen. 25 March 2013.

Maple fans swear by the taste combos of maple syrup in coffee, or in black teas.

Because of its earthy tones, maple syrup is often used in fall cooking, even though it is a spring product.

Maple syrup burns more easily than sugar.

Substitutes

Substituting sugar for maple syrup

1 cup (8 oz / 225g) of sugar plus 3 tablespoon of water for every 3/4 cup (6 oz / 175 ml) of maple syrup

Substituting maple syrup for sugar

The Ohio State University Extension Service gives these guidelines ^[3]Drake, Barbara H. Selecting, Storing, and Serving Ohio Maple Syrup. Ohio State University. Extension. HYG-5522. 25 February 2010. Accessed March 2021 at https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-5522 :

• Use 1½ cups (350 ml) of syrup for each 1 cup (225 g) of granulated sugar;
• Decrease the liquid in a recipe by one-half;
• Add ¼ teaspoon baking soda for each cup of maple syrup used in substitution;
• Decrease oven temperature by 25 degrees F (14 C).

Equivalents

1 cup = 8 oz = 250 ml

Storage Hints

How to best store your maple syrup depends on what it is packaged in, and what stage of the game you are at with it.

Unopened metal, glass or squeeze-type plastic containers of maple syrup will have a long shelf life at normal room temperatures in the cupboard owing to both the high sugar content of the syrup, and to the container having been hot packed at 85° C / 185° F, and then immediately sealed.

“Maple syrup (if it’s been boiled and packaged according to our standards) keeps at room temperature for a very long time in most containers, including glass or squeeze-type plastic bottles.” ^[4]Quebec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP) Association. Keeping your maple syrup. Accessed February 2021 at https://maplefromcanada.ca/products/maple-syrup/

How long a shelf life? Several years, if it’s an unopened can, says the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers:

“An unopened can of maple syrup will keep for several years.” ^[5]Quebec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP) Association. Keeping your maple syrup. Accessed February 2021 at https://maplefromcanada.ca/products/maple-syrup/

Beige plastic maple syrup jug with limited storage life. Kiliweb / Open Food Facts / CC BY-SA 3.0

The beige-grey plastic bottles and jugs are the exception to this guideline. This type of plastic is actually somewhat porous and lets oxygen in:

“Tests have shown that some receptacles, while quite lovely, do not provide foolproof barriers to oxygen. That’s why we recommend that you put that beige plastic jug with the maple scenery on it into the fridge. It’ll prolong the life of your maple syrup.” ^[6]Quebec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP) Association. Keeping your maple syrup. Accessed February 2021 at https://maplefromcanada.ca/products/maple-syrup/

The oxygen that this type of plastic lets in speeds aging of the syrup, and, should any mould spores have survived the hot pack process, the oxygen will allow them to grow.

“Plastic – best for shipping. Maintains the flavor of syrup, although color may darken somewhat in storage.” ^[7] Isselhardt, Mark. Vermont Maple Minute. University of Vermont. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.uvm.edu/extension/agriculture/vermont-maple-minute-0

In fact, Purdue University Extension Services says to just plan to use these containers up fast:

“Use syrup stored in plastic containers within three to six months to avoid quality loss. Do not store maple syrup [in these containers] with other items that may have strong odors as it can pick up those odors and lose quality.” ^[8]Maple Syrup. FoodLink. West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University Extension Services. 2020. Accessed February 2021 at https://extension.purdue.edu/foodlink/food.php?food=Maple%20Syrup

When you bring home new grey plastic jugs of maple syrup, get them into the fridge as soon as you can. Even better, decant the maple syrup out of those jugs into glass jars with tightly-sealing lids on them. This will give it a longer, better refrigerated storage life.

Consider freezing any jars you don’t need right away (see below.)

“The refrigerator is the best place to keep pure maple syrup, even if it the bottle is still unopened. Maple syrup in glass containers will keep for up to one year. Use syrup in plastic containers within three to six months. If you can’t use your syrup that quickly, freeze it in a freezable glass jar leaving one inch of head space.” ^[9]Borgman, Mariel. Sweeten your day with Michigan maple syrup. Michigan State University Extension Service. 22 March 2016. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/sweeten_your_day_with_michigan_maple_syrup

After opening

When you first open any container of maple syrup, no matter how fast and careful you are about getting the lid back on, you allow unseen mould spores in the air to re-enter the container.

“Invisible moulds cells are common in the air, and when the bottle is opened, can fall into the bottle and then start to grow.” ^[10]Yabsley, Charmaine. Are you team fridge or team cupboard for maple syrup? Sydney, Australia: Special Broadcasting Service. 15 November 2017. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2017/11/15/are-you-team-fridge-or-team-cupboard-maple-syrup ”

After the seal has been broken on a container of maple syrup, consider it contaminated with mould spores from the air, and therefore no longer suited to room temperature storage on a shelf. It must be refrigerated.

“Once opened, you should move your maple syrup to the fridge…. The cold temperature [of a fridge], and the low water activity, will work together to slow or prevent the mould from growing.” ^[11]Yabsley, Charmaine. Are you team fridge or team cupboard for maple syrup? Sydney, Australia: Special Broadcasting Service. 15 November 2017. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2017/11/15/are-you-team-fridge-or-team-cupboard-maple-syrup

Note that the refrigeration will not prevent the growth of mould spores into full-blown mould; it will just slow down the process.

Purdue University Extension Service says:

“Always store pure maple syrup in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container. Pure maple syrup in sealed [Ed: metal or glass] containers may be stored in the refrigerator for up to one year. Once opened, changes to the syrup’s color and flavor can be expected within six to eight months. ^[12]Maple Syrup. FoodLink. West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University Extension Services. 2020. Accessed February 2021 at https://extension.purdue.edu/foodlink/food.php?food=Maple%20Syrup (The storage life in the fridge for plastic containers is 3 to 6 months; see above.)

If the syrup crystallizes, you can liquify it using the same tricks as you would with honey: letting sit in a bowl or pan of hot water until the crystals dissolve, or putting into a glass container and zapping at 10 to 15 second intervals in microwave just until crystals dissolve.

For longer term storage, or storage of large amounts, divide maple syrup amongst smaller glass jars of a reasonable usage size for your household, and freeze. This will prevent all mould growth.

Ohio State Extension Service says:

“The best way to repackage maple syrup to maintain its quality is to pour the syrup into clean ½ pint, pint, or quart glass freezer jars to one inch from the top and freeze.” ^[13]Drake, Barbara H. Selecting, Storing, and Serving Ohio Maple Syrup. Ohio State University Extension. HYG-5522. 25 February 2010. Accessed March 2021 at https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-5522

The idea with headspace is to allow sufficient space for expansion while freezing so that the jar doesn’t shatter, but also reduce oxygen space in the jar.

Freezing, thawing and refreezing is safe.

“You can freeze it, going through as many freezing and thawing cycles as you want, the [Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association] says, as long as you let it thaw completely and stir in any condensation that forms on the top of the syrup.” ^[14]Krystal, Becky. Before you pour all that maple syrup on your pancakes, here’s what you should know about it. Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post. 2 September 2019.

Home ‘canning’ of maple syrup

See Maple Syrup: Canning or Freezing directions on our food preservation site.

Mould on maple syrup

See separate entry on Maple Syrup Mould.

Nutrition

Many studies have looked at the potential health benefits of maple syrup. Every spring, before the sap starts flowing, the media starts flowing with reports of studies showing that maple syrup might be good for us. On a good day, when the press and bloggers are really in overdrive, you may even see maple syrup called a “superfood”.

One of the current emphases in looking at potential nutritional benefits of maple syrup is particularly on flavonoids, which in general are known for their potential anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and antioxidant properties.

You will see passages such as this:

“A unique polyphenol, quebecol — named after Quebec, the world’s largest producer of maple syrup — is found in maple syrup. A diet rich in polyphenols (also in some fruit, green tea and red wine) helps reduce inflammation and support a healthy immune system. Maple syrup [also] contains inulin, a prebiotic fibre that acts as food for good gut bacteria and aids in healthy digestive and immune systems.” ^[15]Kichler, Emily. Canadians, rejoice! Maple syrup has many health benefits. Toronto, Canada: Canadian Living. 4 January 2019.

Antioxidant compounds are also potentially present.

It’s important to note, though, that the compounds mentioned, which are in maple syrup in trace amounts, are not only also present in other foods, but often typically in larger amounts in those foods as well.

Additionally, saying that a compound is present in a food does not actually mean much. Just because a compound exhibits certain activity on its own in a lab petri dish, does not mean that it will do the same when mixed in with a thousand other elements in a human body.

The presence of a compound in a food “is a long, long way from demonstrating any clinical benefit. You don’t know if these compounds are absorbed into the bloodstream, you don’t know what happens to them once they are absorbed, and you don’t know if they exhibit any activity once they are absorbed. And you certainly don’t know whether they produce any benefit. And then there is the question of amounts. Demonstration of biological activity in the lab doesn’t mean very much if the actual amounts ingested are not taken into consideration. Maple syrup contains roughly 2 mg of polyphenols per mL, so one might ingest about 60 mg in the 30 mL or so poured on a pancake. A half a cup of blueberries contains four times a much polyphenols without the added load of sugar!” ^[16]McGill Office for Science and Society. Sweet Hype for Maple Syrup. Montreal, Quebec: McGill University. 20 March 2017. Accessed February 2021 at https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/science-science-everywhere/sweet-hype-maple-syrup

“Clinical benefit” means actual, evidence-based proof of real life effect on people. Clinical studies are the highest-grade. They actually study a claim with actual live people as subjects.

Some clinical trials involving some of these compounds found in foods such as maple syrup have been done, putting them into antioxidant supplements given to people, but the results have ranged from inconclusive to disappointing.

There’s also no evidence to back any claims that maple syrup might have certain polyphenols that might act as an anti-diabetic compound.

As for the other reputed nutritional benefits — manganese, riboflavin and zinc, magnesium, calcium and potassium — remember these are all present in minute trace amounts, and to get enough of them in maple syrup to have any possible benefit, you’d have to drink gallons of it, at which point all the sugar would give you other severe health problems.

And just remember, there are no superfoods, and certainly a product such as maple syrup, which is 65% sucrose (see COMPOSITION below), is not going to be one.

Composition of maple syrup

Brix: 66.0 to 68.9 °
pH: 5.5 to 8.0
Water activity: 0.841 to 0.855
75 ml weighs 100 g

Per 100 g of maple syrup, there are 65.89 grams of sugar, of which 64.18 grams of that is sucrose.

Source: Maple Syrup of Quebec. Fédération des producteurs acéricoles du Québec. Industry Sheet. April 2018. Pp 1-2.

The sugar density range is critical for both preservation and for quality: “Syrup that is low density will likely ferment or grow mold and syrup that is too dense will develop sugar crystals that are difficult to use.” ^[17] Isselhardt, Mark. Vermont Maple Minute. University of Vermont. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.uvm.edu/extension/agriculture/vermont-maple-minute-0

The harvest

The traditional maple syrup buckets are now largely replaced by a tubing system on larger farms. G Johansen / Pixabay.com / 2013 / CC0 1.0

The hard maple group of trees includes several types such as black, silver and red maples, but it is primarily the sugar maples which are tapped for their sap owing to their higher productivity. The sap of the other trees in the grouping contains only 1% sugar, compared to 2% for the sugar maple, which is why it is understandably preferred. ^[18]Wurst, Bonnie. Which is better Quebec or Vermont Maple Syrup? Montreal, Quebec: Montreal Times. 4 March 2017. Accessed February 2021 at https://mtltimes.ca/Montreal/social-life/food/better-quebec-vermont-maple-syrup/

One sugar maple tree can produce twelve gallons / 48 litres of maple sap a season, which seems like a lot, until you realize that the ratio of sap from a sugar maple to finished syrup is about 40 US gallons to 1 US gallon / 40 litres to 1 litre. ^[19]”However, for every litre of syrup produced, 30 to 40 litres of moisture must be boiled off.” — Backyard Maple Syrup Production. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. ISSN 1198-3744. LRC 3. 1995. Page 3.

Sap is harvested in the early spring. When exactly this happens depends on the exact geographic production area being looked at.

The harvesting starts when the sap starts running and ends when the trees start budding. To get a good run of sap, you need warm sunny days, and very cold nights. Taps are hammered into the trees.

Drilling a maple tree to insert a tap. Joe Zlomek / morguefile.com

A maple syrup tap. Joe Zlomek / morguefile.com

Traditionally, buckets were hung on the taps to catch the sap running out, but now, in larger operations, a tubing system is used to carry the sap to tanks.

The sap will be collected from the trees from the first major thaw up until when the leaf buds open — after that, the sap has a harsh, awful taste.

This period is called the “sap run”. The total sap run duration will only be about 12 to 20 days. ^[20]Admimando, Stacy. This is How Maple Syrup Gets Made, and What the New Grading System Means. Saveur Magazine. 5 May 2017. Accessed February 2021 at https://www.saveur.com/canada-sugar-shack-maple-syrup-grades/

The ideal temperature range for production is a few degrees above zero Celsius during the day, and a few degrees below at night.

The warmer days allow the tree to start absorbing water from the ground. When the branches freeze again at night, it creates pressure in the trunk, causing the water that was absorbed to concentrate at the bases of the trees where it can be easily tapped for drawing off.

Video source: University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research Center

Production

The sap drawn from trees is clear like water, and if you taste it, only has the slightest hint of sweetness.

Turning that sap into maple syrup involves adding nothing. Instead, it involves removing one thing: water. The water is traditionally driven out by long boiling. As the water evaporates away, it leaves behind an increasingly higher concentration of sugar in the liquid. The density of the liquid needs to be increased through boiling until it reaches a measurement of 66° Brix minimum ^[21]Greer, Susan. Cooking with Maple syrup, the signature ingredient of Canadian cuisine. Ottawa, Canada: The Ottawa Citizen. 25 March 2013. . (Brix being a measurement of sugar content; it’s also used for instance for frozen orange juice concentrate.) The syrup must be watched very closely towards the end of boiling: “If it’s not boiled long enough, it could ferment. Overboiling can cause the formation of sugar crystals.” ^[22]Quebec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP) Association. Keeping your maple syrup. Accessed February 2021 at https://maplefromcanada.ca/products/maple-syrup/

Traditionally, a great deal of time and fuel was required to reduce the sap down to the correct viscosity for syrup. New commercial boilers for maple sap, called “evaporators” or “steamers”, can be incredibly efficient:

“Each [sap steamer] can turn about 2,200 gallons of sap into 55 gallons of syrup in fewer than 90 seconds.” ^[23]Argyelan, Mike. Canada’s Syrup Cartel Challenged by Vermont’s ‘Maple on Steroids’ New York: Bloomberg. 28 May 2019. Accessed February 2021 at https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-28/canada-s-syrup-cartel-challenged-by-vermont-s-maple-on-steroids

Another new process is called “reverse osmosis”:

“The appearance of the so-called reverse osmosis technique in the 1980s is another technological revolution. This technology allows the soluble elements in maple sap to be concentrated without heating and can therefore be considered as a substitute for evaporation. Semipermeable membranes that act as molecular filters retain sugars and mineral elements and allow water to pass through. It is thus possible to remove 80% of the water. Without reverse osmosis, 40 to 50 liters of water were necessary to obtain one liter of syrup by evaporation, today 8 to 10 liters of filtered water is sufficient. The result is a saving of 50 to 60% of the fuel costs required for evaporation.” ^[24]Moriniaux, Vincent. Un sirop au goût amer : le sirop d’érable québécois, produit industriel standardisé ou produit du terroir ? (Maple syrup of Quebec, standardized industrial product or terroir product ?). In: Bulletin de l’Association de géographes français, 84e année, 2007-1 ( mars). Cartographie géomorphologique (2) / Géographie de l’alimentation. doi : https://doi.org/10.3406/bagf.2007.2544. Page 88.

There is however, some question about the impact of the reverse osmosis technique on the distinctive nature of different maple syrups; see discussion under TERROIR section.

For those attempting to boil maple sap at home, some sources recommend that it be done outside, as the sheer quantity of evaporation that must happen can be damaging to interior walls and ceilings.

“It is best to boil down most of the sap outdoors over an open fire rather than indoors in the kitchen because such a tremendous amount of steam is produced during evaporation — it can literally peel wallpaper off a kitchen wall.” ^[25]Kidd, Russell. Making maple syrup in your backyard: Part 2. Michigan State Extension. 8 March 2012. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/making_maple_syrup_in_your_backyard_part_2

Boiling maple sap down into syrup. Joe Zlomek / morguefile.com

U.S. extension service sites for maple syrup will give time and fuel estimate requirements for home hobbyists to process sap into syrup. For instance, Michigan says: “it can take all day to boil down 15-20 or more gallons of sap. It also requires a lot of firewood. The rule-of-thumb for commercial producers is that one cord of firewood will produce 25 gallons of finished syrup (using a commercial evaporator).” ^[26]Kidd, Russell. Making maple syrup in your backyard: Part 2. Michigan State Extension. 8 March 2012. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/making_maple_syrup_in_your_backyard_part_2

Hobbyists will want to consult the extension services resources in depth. Poor processing methods can lead to bitter, metallic or musty tastes, and there is so much labour involved that those attempting it will want to be sure of getting quality results.

Production area

Maple syrup is commercially produced in only 2 areas in the world: south-eastern Canada and north-eastern United States.

States and provinces where maple syrup is produced include Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New York State, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Vermont, and Wisconsin. The top two overall producers are Quebec and Vermont.

Climate change may affect this range, reducing it in the west and south, and increasing it in the north:

“The biggest threat to this practice and culture is unsurprisingly climate change… the freeze-thaw event in spring is necessary, but this specific climatic window now appears earlier and is increasingly shorter due to global warming. Projections show that as much as one-fifth of the production will decline in the next forty years, mostly affecting the southern and west regions, as the sugar maple habitat range continuously shifts further north.” ^[27]Beatty, Paryse. The Terroir of Maple Syrup: A Symbiotic Partnership Between Culture and Nature. Masters Thesis, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. June 2020. Page 11.

In 2020, Quebec produced 13.2 million US gallons of maple syrup ^[28]Maple syrup products, 2020. Ottawa, Canada: Statistics Canada. 10 December 2020. Accessed March 2021 at https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/201210/dq201210e-eng.htm , nearly three times the total combined amount of all U.S. states which is 4.24 million US gallons (2019 figures). Of the US total, 50% was produced in Vermont (2.07 million US gallons.) ^[29]Shahbandeh, M. Maple syrup production in the United States in 2019, by state. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.statista.com/statistics/372013/us-maple-syrup-production-by-state/

The enormity of Quebec’s production means that it produces 71% of the maple syrup in the world (2017 figures). ^[30]Marowits, Ross. Quebec increases maple syrup production amid internal revolt, foreign competition. Toronto, Ontario: CBC. 20 Feburary 2017. Accessed February 2021 at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-maple-syrup-production-increase-1.3990828

To achieve this, Quebec has 13,500 farmers producing maple sap, and 7,300 processors of it (2016 figures). ^[31] Statistical Overview of the Canadian Maple Industry – 2015. Statistics Canada. June 2016. Accessed May 2017 at https://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/industry-markets-and-trade/statistics-and-market-information/by-product-sector/horticulture-industry/horticulture-sector-reports/statistical-overview-of-the-canadian-maple-industry-2015/?id=1475692913659 These producers are sprawled in a 700-kilometre stretch across the southern part of the province ^[32]Greer, Susan. Cooking with Maple syrup, the signature ingredient of Canadian cuisine. Ottawa, Canada: The Ottawa Citizen. 25 March 2013.

91% of the maple syrup in Canada is produced in Quebec (2019 figures, 12,033 gallons out of 13,204 gallons). The second highest-producers in Canada after Quebec are the provinces of Ontario and New Brunswick, at about 4 % each of the remaining Canadian market (2019 numbers, a combined 1100 gallons out of 13,204 gallons). ^[33] Statistical Overview of the Canadian Maple Industry – 2019. Statistics Canada. 4 November 2020. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/canadas-agriculture-sectors/horticulture/horticulture-sector-reports/statistical-overview-of-the-canadian-maple-industry-2019/?id=1604326674902

A pilot run of maple syrup production was underway circa 2020 in southern New Zealand. ^[34]Fleming, Zac. New Zealand could have commercially successful maple syrup industry – researchers. Auckland, New Zealand: Newshub. 1 November 2020. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/rural/2020/01/new-zealand-could-have-commercially-successful-maple-syrup-industry-researchers.html

Quebec production

Owing to the sheer magnitude of Quebec’s maple syrup production, it is in a league of its own.

Quebec even has something no other production area has: a producer’s “union”.

It is called, in English, the “Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers”. The federation is a government-sanctioned organization that controls and governs the production, processing and marketing of maple syrup in Quebec.

Maple syrup producers selling syrup off their premises must sell it to the Federation directly. They have quotas of how much syrup they are allowed to produce.

Once received by the Federation, it is graded. They employ special maple syrup tasters:

“We have here at the Federation 25 people who taste and smell each drum or barrel of the production of the maple syrup,” says Rouillard. That’s about 200,000 barrels a season or about 200 different syrups a day per person. They classify it by taste and smell, he says. The samples that don’t pass muster are sold for industrial purposes. Like wine-tasters, they never swallow and must cleanse their palates after each tasting.” ^[35]Greer, Susan. Cooking with Maple syrup, the signature ingredient of Canadian cuisine. Ottawa, Canada: The Ottawa Citizen. 25 March 2013.

The graded syrups from all producers are combined to ensure a uniformity of flavour. The syrup is then stored in large, sterilized steel drums. The Federation stockpiles these drums in warehouses as part of what they call the “Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve”.

The goal of the reserve is to stabilize prices by stabilizing supply. Letting the market be flooded would lower the prices that producers get. The opposite, allowing shortages, would drive up prices, thus increasing costs for industrial purchasers. Big companies such as Quaker depend on a reliable supply of maple syrup at a reliable cost for products such as their maple syrup breakfast oats, and if the supply or price were unreliable, they might rethink making such a product thereby destroying that portion of the market for maple syrup. Shortages could also raise prices dramatically, pushing other buyers out of the market, perhaps permanently.

If producers produce over their allotted quota in every year, the syrup must still be delivered to the Federation, but they are not paid for it right away:

“And those who produce over their quota must send the surplus barrels of syrup to the Federation’s reserve. They’re paid for those barrels whenever they’re sold — which can take years, since the Federation only dips into the reserve during years when the industry’s output can’t meet demand.” ^[36]Edmiston, Jake, and Graeme Hamilton. The last days of Quebec’s maple syrup rebellion. Toronto, Canada: The National Post. 6 April 2018.

In 2012, 1,000 metric tonnes of maple syrup valued at the time at $30 million CAD / $29 million US were stolen from the Federation’s reserve facilities. The thieves were eventually caught, but only about two-thirds of the syrup was recovered. The theft is discussed in the TV documentary series, Dirty Money (Season 1, Episode 5).

The Federation charges producers a commission of 14% (as of 2018) for its administrative and marketing costs. ^[37]Edmiston, Jake, and Graeme Hamilton. The last days of Quebec’s maple syrup rebellion. Toronto, Canada: The National Post. 6 April 2018. The money also goes to hiring people to police its monopoly: “At any point, the… federation has about 400 investigations underway.” ^[38]Austen, Ian. The Maple Syrup Mavericks. New York: New York Times. 20 August 2015. Section BU, Page 1.

Producers can sell directly to consumers in individual sales at the maple syrup shacks where the syrup is produced, but it is illegal for them to sell directly to other businesses, such as grocery stores or even corner stores, without going through the Federation. People who have tried to sell their maple products outside of the Federation have had their products seized, and they have been fined hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties upheld by the courts, which in the end have forced them to sell out their farms to pay the fines. ^[39]Edmiston, Jake, and Graeme Hamilton. The last days of Quebec’s maple syrup rebellion. Toronto, Canada: The National Post. 6 April 2018.

Grading system

The lightest-coloured and lightest-tasting sap comes at the start of the sap run. The darkest and strongest tasting comes at the end of the run.

The United States and Canada have jointly established a common grading system for maple syrup with input from producers and authorities in the field.

There are courses that producers and processors typically take in maple syrup tasting as part of training for grading.

Off-flavours in maple syrup can develop for many reasons.

One reason can be collecting sap too late in the season when trees have begun to bud:

“Relatively high quantities of amino acids are responsible for an off flavor known as “buddy” (i.e., budlike). This is typical of late-season sap; as the tree begins the budding process, the relative concentrations of the various amino acids in sap increase dramatically” ^[40]Ball, David. (2007). The Chemical Composition of Maple Syrup. Journal of Chemical Education – J CHEM EDUC. 84. 10.1021/ed084p1647. Page 3.

Other reasons can include storing the sap or syrup incorrectly, or the sap or syrup having been infected with mould. Syrup with off-flavours is said to be “tainted”.

In the 2010s, research was begun into technology that could be used to machine grade the taste of maple syrup. The technology would be meant to aid humans in their taste decisions, but not to replace the actual people. The tool would work by scanning wavelengths and molecules for differences. Taste defects will show up as patterns. The tool would also pick up any adulteration of the maple syrup, which humans might actually miss. Similar spectrometry tools are used for olive oil.

Grade A maple syrup

In the Grade A category of syrup, there are 4 classes: ^[41]Canada Food Inspection Agency. Colour classes of maple syrup. Government of Canada. Accessed February 2021 at https://www.inspection.gc.ca/food-label-requirements/labelling/industry/maple-products/eng/1392414400422/1392414462687?chap=8 ^[42]Prakash, Sheela. How to Make Sense of the New Maple Syrup Grades. Epicurious. 16 February 2015. Accessed February 2021 at https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/grade-b-maple-syrup-buying-guide-article

• Golden, Delicate Taste / “Doré, goût délicat”. The lightest in colour and taste. From the very first harvests. Perhaps best used as a garnish and at the top, where its light taste will come through. Drizzle on pancakes, ice cream, yoghurt.
• Amber, Rich Taste / “Ambré, goût riche”. A bit richer, a bit darker. Good for baking, stirring into drinks, salad dressings, in dips. If you just buy one maple syrup, this may the one you should buy, says the Washington Post: “If you choose only one grade, Sorkin says, it should be this one.” ^[43]Krystal, Becky. Before you pour all that maple syrup on your pancakes, here’s what you should know about it. Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post. 2 September 2019.
• Dark, Robust Taste / “Foncé, goût robuste”. Browner, more robust flavour. Less light shines through. Almost like liquid brown sugar. Good in glazes, barbeque sauces, other sauces where it needs to hold up against other strong tasting flavours.
• Very Dark, Strong Taste / “Très foncé, goût prononcé”. Most intense flavour and darkest colour. Not often sold to consumers, usually sold to manufacturers making maple flavour products. Use in recipes that would call for a strong tasting sweetener such as molasses.

Maple syrup is a natural product, so its flavour and colour profile may not always fit exactly into the above classifications. You may get some batches that cross the lines that the grading system tries to fit them into:

“It’s worth keeping in mind that the strength of flavor does not always occur in a smooth progression along with color, as you can get a lighter-colored syrup with an intense taste and a darker that’s milder.” ^[44]Krystal, Becky. Before you pour all that maple syrup on your pancakes, here’s what you should know about it. Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post. 2 September 2019.

Processing Grade maple syrup

Processing Grade maple syrup is very dark with a very robust maple flavour. It may be the last syrup to be produced in a season, Or, it may have an off-flavour and odour, and may be cloudy.

It may not be sold directly to consumers; instead, it is sold for use as a commercial food ingredient to food manufacturers who can work with the defects of it.

The USDA gives these requirements for Processing Grade: ^[45]Maple Syrup Grades & Standards. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/maple-syrup-grades-standards

“Maple syrup for processing (Processing Grade) means any maple syrup that does not meet Grade A requirements, but meets the requirement of Processing Grade for use in the manufacturing of other products. Maple syrup for processing must be packed in containers of 5 gallons or 20 liters or larger. Processing Grade maple syrup cannot be packaged in consumer-size containers for retail sales (containers of less than 5 gallons / 20 liters).

• May be any color class and any light transmittance; and not more than 68.9 percent solids content by weight (Brix);

• May contain off flavors; and odors;

• May have a very strong taste.”

It will be of the same sugar, pH, and water activity levels, etc., as are required to meet the legal definition of any maple syrup, which is: ^[46]Canadian Grade Compendium: Volume 7 – Maple Syrup. Canadian Food Inspection Agency. 13 June 2018. Accessed March 2021 at https://inspection.canada.ca/about-cfia/acts-and-regulations/list-of-acts-and-regulations/documents-incorporated-by-reference/canadian-grade-compendium-volume-7/eng/1521118355767/1521118356469?chap=0

Brix: 66.0 to 68.9 °
pH: 5.5 to 8.0
Water activity: 0.841 to 0.855

The New York State Agriculture Department requires containers to bear labelling that clearly prohibits sale of Processing Grade directly to consumers:

“The name ‘Processing Grade Maple Syrup’ must conspicuously appear on the principal display panel of the food’s label, and the words ‘For Food Processing Only’ and ‘Not for Retail Sale’ must also conspicuously appear on the food’s principal display panel in close proximity to the food’s name and in a size reasonably related to the size of the name of the food.” ^[47]Maple Syrup and Honey Processing. New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Accessed March 2021 at https://agriculture.ny.gov/food-safety/maple-syrup-and-honey-processing

Substandard Grade

There is also a third grade below the Processing Grade, called “Substandard”. “Substandard is the quality of maple syrup that fails to meet the requirements of Processing Grade maple syrup.” ^[48]Maple Syrup Grades & Standards. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.

Grading history

The grading system come into effect over a period of time between 2014 and 2015 as different production regions phased it in.

Previously grading was a hodge-podge of Canadian and U.S, as well as state and provincial level, grading systems. This made it difficult for consumers and industrial purchasers to compare.

Under those grading regimes, darker looking and stronger-tasting syrups were not allowed to be sold to consumers in order to protect them from undesirable syrups. But that rule was out of date: consumers had come to want the more robust syrups.

“The last change [in the grading system] was on the dark end of the spectrum… a lot of the consumer research showed that consumers really like that strong tasting stuff. [So] they eliminated that lower limit. As long as it’s not off-flavored you can sell very dark syrup directly to consumer. It opened up more opportunities for marketing…” ^[49]Isselhardt, Mark. Maple Minute. 28 January 2021. Page 12. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Agriculture/Maple_interview_captioning_file.pdf

In these older systems, processing grade was called Grade C.

Terroir

Terroir is a culinary term that means distinctive qualities in a food that reflect the character of the land on which and climate in which it was grown. The specific peculiarities of the place affect the taste and nature of the resultant product.

In Europe, the concept of terroir is applied to products closely tied to the land and the environment, products such as wine, honey, olive oil, and even cheeses. There’s probably little doubt that if maple syrup were produced in Europe, the concept of terroir would be applied to it ^[50]”Un produit du terroir, ce qu’il est indéniablement, à l’instar du vin, du miel ou de l’huile d’olive.” — Moriniaux, Vincent. Un sirop au goût amer : le sirop d’érable québécois, produit industriel standardisé ou produit du terroir ? (Maple syrup of Quebec, standardized industrial product or terroir product ?). In: Bulletin de l’Association de géographes français, 84e année, 2007-1 ( mars). Cartographie géomorphologique (2) / Géographie de l’alimentation. doi : https://doi.org/10.3406/bagf.2007.2544. Page 85., as well as the concept of tracing so that consumers could trace the product right back to the farm where it was produced. ^[51]”Trois effets pervers de ce système de mise en marché… qui chacun empêchent le développement pour les produits de l’érable d’une filière qualité, au sens où on l’entend en France, c’est-à-dire alliant traçabilité et typicité d’un produit de terroir.” Ibid., page 85.

The concept of terroir promises to be an economic one as well, allowing small craft producers to charge more for their product and become more economically viable:

“The question of terroir isn’t purely academic; it’s economic, too. If someone will pay $42 for 12 ounces of coffee beans, what could Vermont producers get for a pint of private reserve syrup?… If they thought more like connoisseurs, maybe they could persuade customers to pay more, and catch the attention of folks who hadn’t considered syrup a gourmet item.” ^[52]Cornwall, Warren. Far From the Tree. Slate Magazine. 15 May 2013. Accessed March 2021 at http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2013/05/maple_syrup_terroir_vermont_s_efforts_to_make_the_pancake_condiment_more.html

Some people put a nation state spin on their geographic origin choice for their maple syrup:

“I’ve tasted Vermont syrup many times and it is good, but perhaps it’s the Canadian in me (after all our flag features a maple leaf) but Quebec syrup wins hands down.” ^[53]Wurst, Bonnie. Which is better Quebec or Vermont Maple Syrup? Montreal, Quebec: Montreal Times. 4 March 2017. Accessed February 2021 at https://mtltimes.ca/Montreal/social-life/food/better-quebec-vermont-maple-syrup/

Can terroir be applied to maple syrup

Is applying the concept of terroir to maple syrup a fanciful notion, whether it stem out of a genuine belief, or out of an underlying desire for economic benefits that it might bring?

There are a growing number of advocates for the idea who believe that the taste can be affected by weather, the ground that the trees are growing in, and the health of the forest. They firmly believe that “maple syrup is shaped by the terroir it was produced in. Its many layers of flavours are influenced by the type of its bedrock [and] the amount of precipitation it received throughout the year… ” ^[54]Beatty, Paryse. The Terroir of Maple Syrup: A Symbiotic Partnership Between Culture and Nature. Masters Thesis, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. June 2020. Page 11.

One producer says he can detect different terroirs within the province of Ontario, which is nearly double the size of France:

“Maple syrup from southwestern Ontario has a more earthy flavour. I can tell if a syrup was made on the granite of the Canadian Shield country up north around Huntsville. It has more of a, not vanilla, but a lighter flavour that’s not as heavy in the maple bouquet.” ^[55]Ray Bonenberg, owner-operator, with his wife, of Mapleside Sugar Bush in the Ottawa Valley near Pembroke, Ontario. In: Lasker, David. Is there a terroir for maple syrup? Toronto, Canada: Canadian Geographic. 27 February 2018. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/there-terroir-maple-syrup

Terroir supporters point out that many unique factors come together in a local region to create the micro environment in which the maple sap was created and harvested:

“The taste quality of maple sap (the sap before being heated to obtain the syrup) depends on the variety of maple; soil conditions; tree health; from the abundance of its foliage; the integrity of its roots from the meteorological conditions of the summer preceding the flow and those of the sugar season. We also know that maples produce more when they are in close proximity with other [different] hardwood families. It is an argument against monoculture… all years are not equal and there are different “terroirs” and cultivation methods. And therefore different tastes (J. Dumont, 1995). The temperature of the day greatly influences the taste of the syrup. Likewise, the time of harvest, at the beginning or at the end of the sugar season. At the start of the season, we can find strong wood flavors; at the end of the season, we feel the tastes of sap or buds, due to the awakening of the tree, which will soon burst.” ^[56]Moriniaux Vincent. Un sirop au goût amer : le sirop d’érable québécois, produit industriel standardisé ou produit du terroir? pp 84 to 85.

Additionally, many compounds including acids and minerals come together within the sap to form its complex, layered taste. In 2005, spectrometer tests in Middlebury, Vermont were conducted on a sampling of locally produced maple syrup. The “tests concluded that syrup produced from trees on limestone bedrock had the highest quantities of copper, magnesium, calcium and silica, which scientists hypothesized had a role in the taste. Shale syrups came in second in all of these substances, followed by schist.” ^[57]Black, Jane. Fresh From Vermont’s Maples, a Taste of Terroir. New York: New York Times. 20 December 2006.

Part of the issue in studying maple syrup terroir, some researchers point out, is that flavour can vary even on the same terrain.

“Even syrup with the same grade from the same sugar-maker in the same year can taste different. In maple syrup’s case, embracing terroir, that elusive taste of a place, means accepting that a single place — a single tree, even — will contain a multitude of flavors.” ^[58]Cornwall, Warren. Far From the Tree. Slate Magazine. 15 May 2013. Accessed March 2021 at http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2013/05/maple_syrup_terroir_vermont_s_efforts_to_make_the_pancake_condiment_more.html

The flavour will also vary as the days go by because the levels of various acids in the syrup will vary as the tree wakes up:

“Maple sap is slightly acidic owing to the presence of several organic acids: oxalic, succinic, fumaric, malic, tartaric, citric, and aconitic (1-propene-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid) acids. The total quantity of acid in sap starts low, around 8 ppm, then rises to over 45 ppm as the season progresses.” ^[59]Ball, David. (2007). The Chemical Composition of Maple Syrup. Journal of Chemical Education – J CHEM EDUC. 84. 10.1021/ed084p1647.

But Professor Amy Trubek of the University of Vermont Food Science department says that what makes up the terroir of a given maple syrup might not be something that can be definitively pinpointed:

“You can’t be too reductive. It’s not simply about geology — even with wine, it’s about 17 different factors.” An incredible diversity of environmental conditions — where a tree grows, the composition of bedrock underneath sugarbush, the seasonal or long-term climatic changes — influences maple syrup’s terroir.” ^[60]Smith, Peter. The Ineffable Flavors of Maple Trees. Good Magazine. 2 May 2011. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.good.is/articles/the-university-of-vermont-s-map-of-maple-syrup

No studies have been done as to whether the saps from different types of maple result in differences in syrups. Mark Isselhardt from the University of Vermont says :

“Is there much difference in the flavor between the Red Maple and the Sugar Maple? — That question has been out there for a long time. My answer, the data is pretty thin on the actual answer to that. I would say that there isn’t a lot of data to suggest there’s a major difference. But that being said, we haven’t done the exhaustive work. There is a plan at Proctor, the Proctor Maple Research Center in Underhill, to do a very large scale commercial level, a 3×10 evaporator scale of just Red Maple versus Sugar Maple. That’s never been done. All the work that’s been done has been on a very small scale. Bill, I love the question. Folks have definitely asked that and the research has been slow to catch on. I would say … I’m comfortable saying there’s not a huge difference, but we’re in the business of actually collecting data in a controlled way.” ^[61]Isselhardt, Mark. Maple Minute. 28 January 2021. Page 12. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Agriculture/Maple_interview_captioning_file.pdf

We don’t even know exactly how the colour of the water-clear sap turns into the golden hues of the maple syrup:

“Despite the fact that most maple syrups are graded based on their color, the components that determine the color and flavor of maple syrup are still not completely understood. There are three possible sources for the color of maple syrup: (1) Maillard reactions between amino acids and reducing sugars, (2) caramelization of sugars, and (3) formation of polycarbonyl compounds. In any case, it is clear that chemical reactions are occurring in the sap to develop the syrup’s color and flavor, as normally evaporated sap dries to a white solid.” ^[62]Ball, David. (2007). The Chemical Composition of Maple Syrup. Journal of Chemical Education – J CHEM EDUC. 84. 10.1021/ed084p1647.

Some of the compounds found in the syrup are formed during processing and not actually even found in the sap, so it may be that processing methods have an impact that has to be factored in with any of terroir:

“The compounds that contribute to the characteristic flavor of maple syrup are not yet established. They suggest that it is likely that these compounds are formed during the evaporation process, as many of these compounds are not present in maple sap.” ^[63]Ball, David. (2007). The Chemical Composition of Maple Syrup. Journal of Chemical Education – J CHEM EDUC. 84. 10.1021/ed084p1647.

Some people suggest that the new, more labour and fuel efficient semi-industrial ways of processing the sap into syrup may be destroying traces of terroir in the final products:

“Only if the sap is boiled down the old-fashioned way, over a wood stove, rather than the gas stove method preferred by large-scale commercial producers… Because it wasn’t a commercial production,” he recalls, “we didn’t have any of the filters for the reverse osmosis process they normally use to speed up the boiling process. But in doing this, you lose the particular flavour notes. We filtered it through a cheesecloth and I was very surprised at the flavours we were getting. It was delicious, fantastic. Some of the woodiness of the maple syrup was left; you knew that this came out of a tree.” To compare it to the supermarket variety, he says, would be like comparing unaged whiskey to a 21-year-old Highland Park. “Each tree, each region should give you a different taste,” he concurs. “I’ve tried maple syrup made here compared to some made by my friend 45 minutes down the road in Margaree and there were definitely differences.”” ^[64]Lasker, David. Is there a terroir for maple syrup? Toronto, Canada: Canadian Geographic. 27 February 2018. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/there-terroir-maple-syrup

In 2018, the President of the International Maple Syrup Institute was asked about terroir. He replied, “Our more corporate high-level answer is: No…  trying to pick something that is unique in regard to a flavour [for each region], well, we haven’t got our minds around it yet.” ^[65]Lasker, David. Is there a terroir for maple syrup? Toronto, Canada: Canadian Geographic. 27 February 2018. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/there-terroir-maple-syrup

Part of the problem, some surmise, is that producers don’t even know how to taste for various flavour notes or distinctions outside of what is required for them to know for the U.S / Canadian grading system. They are literally trained just to taste against the government grading standards:

“Sugar-makers have… spent years training their palates to conform to the government-sanctioned grading system, not to detect whether a syrup has lingering notes of grapefruit.” ^[66]Cornwall, Warren. Far From the Tree. Slate Magazine. 15 May 2013. Accessed March 2021 at http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2013/05/maple_syrup_terroir_vermont_s_efforts_to_make_the_pancake_condiment_more.html

Structural barriers to terroir in Quebec

Quebec’s maple syrup production by white settlers had been artisanal for hundreds of years. With the advent of its maple syrup federation, production evolved in the space of 20 years to being more of an industrial one producing a single, standardized, homogenous industrial maple syrup. ^[67]”Passée en une vingtaine d’année du stade de l’artisanat à celui de l’industrie, l’acériculture québécoise s’est rapidement développée, mais le sirop d’érable, aux goûts pourtant si divers quand il est consommé à la cabane, est devenu un produit industriel standardisé.” — Moriniaux Vincent. Un sirop au goût amer : le sirop d’érable québécois, produit industriel standardisé ou produit du terroir? Page 82.

Quebec is a very large province, nearly three times the size of France. It should not be surprising therefore to learn that different areas within it had been known for the different maple syrups that came out of those regions:

“Different regions of Quebec [had] different reputations for their maple syrup. It is often said, for example, that Beauce syrup is colored and less fine than the others because its sugar bushes contain a high proportion of red maple. In Montérégie, on the other hand, in the Granby region, maple groves are often almost pure stands of sugar maple and their syrup is known to be different, very clear at the start of the season.” ^[68]Moriniaux Vincent. Un sirop au goût amer : le sirop d’érable québécois, produit industriel standardisé ou produit du terroir? Page 84.

Now, in the marketing of Quebec syrup, the “tastes are neither linked to places of production and their organoleptic qualities, nor are differences among places considered valuable. To a certain extent, the decision to commercialize maple syrup in Quebec has negated the terroir.” ^[69]Trubek, Amy. “Maple Syrup: Differences between Vermont and Quebec.” Montreal, Quebec: McGill University Library.  Cuizine, volume 2, number 2, 2010. https://doi.org/10.7202/044354ar

The maple syrup now commercially sold by Quebec is syrup that has been mixed from many farms and many producers to be a generic uniform product. In fact, most of it is sold in bulk: “Quebec now primarily sells maple syrup in bulk (85 percent of its total production in 2005), mixing syrups from every region.” ^[70] Trubek, Amy. “Maple Syrup: Differences between Vermont and Quebec.” Montreal, Quebec: McGill University Library.  Cuizine, volume 2, number 2, 2010. https://doi.org/10.7202/044354ar . This can of course be good for large industrial buyers who want a uniform, consistently reliable product for use as an ingredient in their products such as specialty breakfast oats, cookies, etc.

Bear in mind as well that Quebec’s surplus maple syrup may be stored for quite some time, even years, in barrels, so that it could already be somewhat old before it is even put into retail-sized containers for consumers. And then when it is packed into those retail containers, the syrup has to be heated again in order to be hot-packed, which could have yet more impact on the taste. “Maple producers commonly produce syrup and package their product initially into barrels. They will reheat the syrup and repack this product into containers for retail.” ^[71]Maine Agricultural Center Integrated Research/Extension Grants 2012–2013. Accessed March 2021 at https://umaine.edu/mainefoodandagcenter/resource/maine-agricultural-center-integrated-researchextension-grants-2012-2013. Page 1.

All this could combine to create an unspoken financial incentive not to want to acknowledge that terroir characteristics are being lost, or that they even existed in the first place.

Loss of terroir characteristics could also inconveniently bring into question the use of the modern, more profitable osmosis processing machines if they were found to be another factor in stripping the syrup of any uniqueness.

Yet another factor, some argue, is that there might be a financial incentive to blend high and low grade maple syrups to arrive at a medium grade to sell by volume making more profit overall. “The minimum price set each year by the [Federation] marketing plan encourages the buyer to mix syrups, the only classification criterion of which is based on a notion of degree of clearness [of the syrup]. A buyer who mixes syrups of classes A and D can obtain a syrup B less expensive than the minimum price decreed for this same class.” ^[72]Moriniaux Vincent. Un sirop au goût amer : le sirop d’érable québécois, produit industriel standardisé ou produit du terroir? Page 90.

Terroir as a competitive advantage

Quebec’s dominant, monolithic syrup production industry is a profitable machine that is hard to compete with on its own terms, but it could be that its own terms — negating terroir and creating a generic syrup — could be used against it as an Achillles heel. It could leave Quebec vulnerable to producers outside the province who are able to identify and market the concept of terroir. These producers have the freedom to innovate by marketing artisanal products that are single-source and traceable, as opposed to blended from many farms. They can offer certified organic syrup tied to a specific property and production date, or unique products such as bacon-infused maple syrup.

In Vermont, some artisanal producers link their product to a sense of terroir to distinguish themselves from bigger commercial producers. Not all of these, however, may not be as “small and artisanal” as their marketing invites one to believe. In fact, a few are owned by investment companies — ironically even Quebec ones. “Maple Guild is uniquely flush. Originally owned by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, it was sold last year for an undisclosed sum to Fiera Comox, the agricultural division of Fiera Capital, a Montreal investment firm that manages more than $100 billion in assets.” ^[73]Argyelan, Mike. Canada’s Syrup Cartel Challenged by Vermont’s ‘Maple on Steroids’ New York: Bloomberg. 28 May 2019. Accessed February 2021 at https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-28/canada-s-syrup-cartel-challenged-by-vermont-s-maple-on-steroids

In 2015, America’s Test Kitchen advised readers that paying for single-origin syrups was not worth it:

“While most maple syrup producers sell their products to large packagers who blend and sell them commercially, there are also some who sell their own unblended syrups directly from their farms (or through local specialty stores). Curious if these single-origin syrups would have more distinct, nuanced flavors—and if they would be worth mail-ordering—we tasted five (priced from $0.48 to $1.33 per ounce) alongside one of the supermarket brands. We liked them all, but none had distinct enough nuances to warrant the shipping charges—a result that maple syrup expert Michael Farrell said isn’t surprising. “Most people,” he noted, “aren’t going to be able to tell the difference.”” — Savoie, Lauren. Maple Syrup. America’s Test Kitchen. 1 September 2015. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.americastestkitchen.com/taste_tests/1624-maple-syrup

History Notes

In the history of North American sweeteners, white sugar started off as the expensive luxury item, with maple syrup being the everyday one. Now, the situation is reversed, and maple syrup is the luxury item.

Writers often point to the First Nations in North America as being the first to take advantage of the maple’s sap, but in fact, it was probably wildlife such as squirrels:

“Who were the first [maple] sugar makers? Many believe native Americans were the first to collect sugar from maple trees in North America. In fact, it was probably squirrels. Squirrels have been observed collecting encrusted sugar from the end twigs they nipped off and make a habit of going from tree to tree. In fact, UVM researchers have quantified squirrels collecting as much as 80mg of sugar from each twig. It’s very possible that native Americans observed this behavior and found a way to collect sugar much closer to the ground.” ^[74]Isselhardt, Mark. Vermont Maple Minute. University of Vermont. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.uvm.edu/…/agriculture/vermont-maple-minute-0

The First Nations tapped with gashes made by tomahawks. There were so many trees that management of sugar bushes was just not a concern:

“Managing the sugar bush was not a concern for the aboriginal people. They had many trees to choose from and could move from stand to stand as they needed. Tapping involved making a gash in the tree with a tomahawk and inserting a chip of wood at the bottom of the gash to allow the sap to drip into a container at the base of the tree. These tapping methods resulted in wounds that could eventually kill a tree if tapped heavily for many years.” ^[75]Chapeskie, Dave. A Guide to Improving and Maintaining Sugar Bush Health and Productivity. Toronto, Canada: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. 2006. Page 8.

The first white colonists would later copy the same tapping techniques at first, before dwindling numbers of trees caused by land clearing raised the need for tapping methods that would preserve the longer-term health of the trees.

Sugaring for the First Nations was an annual spring tradition. Cakes of maple sugar were prized, and could be used as gifts or for trade:

“Aboriginal peoples would move from their winter hunting grounds to their sugar bush camps each spring. Women and children were primarily responsible for maple sugaring activities while at the camp. The men would hunt and busy themselves with other activities while the women and children looked after collecting the sap and tending the fires. The women would make sap buckets from birch bark or hollowed out sections of solid wood. The more buckets that a woman had, the more elite the status she possessed. Some women had as many as 1500 buckets. Aboriginal sugar camps were cheerful and filled with laughter as the women and children worked in the maple bush.

Meals in the sugar camps were centered on maple. The women and children feasted on fresh syrup and sugar as they worked and one man could consume as much as one pound of maple sugar per day and little else on a hunting trip. A year’s production did not last until the next year. It was feast or famine, with large quantities of maple consumed until their supply was exhausted. Most of the sap was made into a grainy sugar that was kept in large baskets for every day use. Solid cakes of sugar, some with intricate designs, were used for gift giving and for bartering. Trade was conducted with other tribes and later on with fur traders and neighbouring settlers.” ^[76]Chapeskie, Dave. A Guide to Improving and Maintaining Sugar Bush Health and Productivity. Page 6.

Settlers in North America had two problems getting a sweetener for their tables and for cooking. Sugar was well-known by then, but it was highly taxed making it a luxury item. Plus, some people didn’t want to buy sugar because it was a product created through slavery.

Thomas Jefferson wrote of maple sugar in 1790:

“What a blessing to substitute a sugar which requires only the labour of children, for that which it is said renders the slavery of the blacks necessary.” ^[77]Jefferson, Thomas to Benjamin Vaughan. 27 June 1790. Accessed March 2021 at https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-16-02-0342

As for that age-old sweetener, honey — it wasn’t available in North America as honey bees weren’t native there. They were introduced later.

Settlers consequently turned to what the native North Americans used as their sweetener, which is maple syrup.

By the late 1800s, several factors had changed. Slavery had been abolished. The taxes on sugar which helped to make it a luxury item were dramatically dropped, so sugar became cheaper than maple syrup. Production of maple syrup also dropped as more forest land was cleared for farmland. These combined factors caused maple syrup’s production and popularity to drop. And the plain truth was, people preferred refined white sugar in their cooking if they could get it, as it had less impact on the taste.

Prior to the start of the 1900s, families would make maple syrup in small quantities for their own needs. Commercialization of maple syrup production did not begin until around the start of the 1900s.

“Up until the 20th century, making maple sugar was a family and community-based activity. Most rural families owned lands with a “sugarbush” or a stand of sugar maple trees. Sap was boiled into syrup using large cast iron kettles that were hung on tree trunks outside with an open wood fire underneath. By the late 19th century, metal evaporators were introduced, first invented by David Ingalls in Dunham, Quebec and soon updated and adopted by Vermont sugarmakers. This technological innovation, among others, allowed for the development of commercial maple syrup production.” ^[78]Trubek, Amy. “Maple Syrup: Differences between Vermont and Quebec.” Montreal, Quebec: McGill University Library.  Cuizine, volume 2, number 2, 2010. https://doi.org/10.7202/044354ar

During World War I and World War II governments in North America, federal, state and provincial, encouraged a revival in the use of maple syrup in order to be able to reduce the amount of sugar imports. Patriotic cookbooks featured recipes reteaching the lost art of baking with maple syrup:

From: 100 Sugarless Recipes. Fort William Women’s Air Force Auxiliary, Thunder Bay, Ontario. 1942. Page 3. (Click to enlarge)

This created a marketing opportunity for producers of maple syrup — if they could produce enough to actually meet the demand. Some of the labour was now in the armed forces, and there was always the weather to contend with:

“The shortage of sugar during World War II presented producers of other sweeteners with an opportunity to increase their sales whenever they could produce the additional quantities needed… [Still], the consumption of maple syrup declined about as much as that of sugar during the way. The production of maple syrup required considerable labor, which was scarce. Yields of maple sap also vary widely from season to season, largely because of the influence of the weather. This caused a sharp reduction in supplies in 1944 and 1945.” ^[79]Ballinger, Roy A. A History of Sugar Marketing Through 1974. Washington, D.C.: USDA Economics, Statistics and Cooperative Service. Agricultural Economic Report No. 382. March 1978. Page 51.

In Ontario, the government did what it could to support the labour requirements for maple syrup production:

“World War I and World War II resulted in an increased demand for maple sugar, stimulating increases in production. During World War II in particular, cane sugar was in short supply and was rationed. The [Ontario] government fixed the price of maple syrup at $3.39 per gallon and directed labour into maple production to increase the amount of maple sugar available.” ^[80]Chapeskie, Dave. A Guide to Improving and Maintaining Sugar Bush Health and Productivity. Page 6.

Still, even though governments were directing people to use maple syrup instead of sugar, and were doing what they could to give labour supports to the industry, maple syrup itself was also added to the ration list in Canada in September 1943:

“Canada began its rationing program in 1942. Goods such as coffee, tea, butter, meat, eggs, and sugar were carefully measured out through the use of rationing books. A year later molasses, apple and honey butters, maple syrup, canned fruit and evaporated milk were added to the list.” ^[81]Thorn, Audra. WarCake: Remembering from the Home Front. Canadian Military Family Magazine. [Undated]. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.cmfmag.ca/galley/warcake-remembering-from-the-home-front/

Wartime Prices and Trade Board Notice. Appearing in: The Jarvis Record. Jarvis, Ontario. Thursday, September 2nd, 1943. Page 4, col. 1. (Click to enlarge)

After the Second World War, proper containers for the maple syrup were scarce:

“Toughest time was just after the war bottling in old wine bottles and 5 or 10 gallon cans after food rations had finally been lifted. We used to seal the bottles with wax…” ^[82]Cecil Cass, Ontario maple syrup producer, interviewed in 2019. Ontario Producer Celebrates 75 Years of Maple. Maple News. Ontario Maple Syrup Producers’ Association. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.omspa.ca/maple-news

Literature & Lore

The sugar maple is used as a state tree by Vermont, New York, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Canada.

Clementine Paddleford, Gourmet Magazine writer, extolled the virtues of maple syrup in 1950:

“Pour on golden syrup of the maple, a jewel-like ambrosia, pale as wheat straw, refined to diamond purity, delicate as a sunbeam. Maple syrup on waffles literally do melt in the mouth. Maple syrup’s not cheap. It never will be. So when you buy, be sure it’s as good as you can get for your money.” — Paddleford, Clementine (1898 – 1967). Food Flashes Column. Gourmet Magazine. June 1950.

Further reading

Ball, David. (2007). The Chemical Composition of Maple Syrup. Journal of Chemical Education – J CHEM EDUC. 84. 10.1021/ed084p1647.

Moriniaux, V.. (2007). Maple syrup of Quebec, standardized industrial product or terroir product?. 84. 81-96. (in French)

Sources

Admimando, Stacy. This is How Maple Syrup Gets Made, and What the New Grading System Means. Saveur Magazine. 5 May 2017. Accessed February 2021 at https://www.saveur.com/canada-sugar-shack-maple-syrup-grades/

Argyelan, Mike. Canada’s Syrup Cartel Challenged by Vermont’s ‘Maple on Steroids’ New York: Bloomberg. 28 May 2019. Accessed February 2021 at https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-28/canada-s-syrup-cartel-challenged-by-vermont-s-maple-on-steroids

Baute, Nicole. Here’s why maple syrup is very good for your health. Toronto, Canada: The Toronto Star. 22 March 2010.

Emmanouil Apostolidis, Liya Li, Chong Lee, Navindra P. Seeram. In vitro evaluation of phenolic-enriched maple syrup extracts for inhibition of carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes relevant to type 2 diabetes management. Journal of Functional Foods. Volume 3, Issue 2. 2011. Pages 100-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2011.03.003.
Fernandez-Blance, Katherine. Maple syrup taste testers not bowing to technology. Toronto, Ontario: Toronto Star. 2 August 2012.

Greer, Susan. Cooking with Maple syrup, the signature ingredient of Canadian cuisine. Ottawa, Canada: The Ottawa Citizen. 25 March 2013.

Krystal, Becky. Before you pour all that maple syrup on your pancakes, here’s what you should know about it. Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post. 2 September 2019.

Mackrael, Kim and Rita Trichur. Police probing Quebec maple syrup heist worth up to $30-million. Toronto, Ontario: The Globe and Mail. 30 August 2012.

Nichols, Daisy. What Is the Difference Between Canadian and American Maple Syrup. Daily Meal. 27 December 2018. Accessed February 2021 at https://www.thedailymeal.com/cook/what-difference-between-canadian-and-american-maple-syrup

Trubek, Amy. “Maple Syrup: Differences between Vermont and Quebec.” Montreal, Quebec: McGill University Library.  Cuizine, volume 2, number 2, 2010. https://doi.org/10.7202/044354ar

Weissman, Johann. Why Does Canada Have a Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve? Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic. 1 September 2012. Accessed February 2021 at http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/09/why-does-canada-have-a-strategic-maple-syrup-reserve/261869/

Wurst, Bonnie. Which is better Quebec or Vermont Maple Syrup? Montreal, Quebec: Montreal Times. 4 March 2017. Accessed February 2021 at https://mtltimes.ca/Montreal/social-life/food/better-quebec-vermont-maple-syrup/

Related entries

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