You’d be hard-pressed to find a food, or anything, really, that screams ‘Canada’ more than maple syrup. The country is responsible for around 85 per cent of the world’s production, after all.
But the history of maple syrup goes back to way before the country was formed. It started with Indigenous people, with several tribes around the country having legends about the syrup. There’s the story of a chief throwing a tomahawk into a maple tree, one about a woman who ran out of water while cooking moose so she used maple sap instead, another about Indigenous people observing squirrels nibbling on maple trees, and many more.
An Indigenous woman, Jolene Johnson did not grow up connected with her own culture, but has since been reconnected to her ancestral roots. As a part of her embracing her culture, she founded Wabanaki Maple in 2018, offering traditional maple syrup. Her signature flavours include syrups aged in spirit barrels, like bourbon and whisky.
She says that Indigenous people were the first to come across maple water (sap). There are many stories about its discovery, but there's one that resonates with her. "I believe that because our First Nations people have always had a strong connection and relationship to the land, the harvesting of maple syrup may have started after observing and watching creatures like squirrels that would be nibbling on maple tree branches in the springtime, and it may have piqued their curiosity to see what it was that they were eating."
And while an increasing amount of studies show the health benefits (and antioxidant properties) of maple products, such information is nothing new for First Nations people.
The harvesting of maple syrup may have started after observing and watching creatures like squirrels that would be nibbling on maple tree branches in the springtime.
"In our region, also known as Wabanaki Territory, we often endure harsh winters. And so, in the spring when the sap began to run, [our people] would drink this refreshing sap water. It would help to revitalise their immune system and give them that extra boost of nutrients they needed,” explains Johnson.
How do you make maple syrup?
It’s Indigenous people who showed European colonisers how to harvest sap from maple trees.
First collected in woven baskets after tapping a tree, the process is now much more industrialised. Today, most maple farms have tubes bringing the sap directly to a station where it’s boiled down to syrup. It takes around 40 litres of sap to produce one litre of syrup.
Philipe Mollé is a chef and food journalist living in Québec, where most of the maple syrup comes from. When he moved from Tahiti to the Canadian province, he was instantly drawn to maple syrup. “When I arrived in Québec, the first thing I noticed was that it was a sweet land. Everybody had a cousin or an aunt working in a sugar shack,” he recalls.
“Come springtime, Québecois are very much over winter and love going to sugar shacks where they eat maple ham, eggs or omelette in syrup, baked beans, pea soup, cretons [pork spread] and sugar pie. And for the kids, there’s maple taffy on the snow. You pour the syrup over snow and then roll it around a stick, it’s like a lollipop.”
While this tradition is still very much alive today, small family sugar shacks have become rare and have been replaced by large-scale operations.
One thing that hasn’t changed is that producers are very much dependent on the weather. Maple sap is collected over a few weeks in the spring, when temperatures are below zero at night, and over zero during the day.
You pour the syrup over snow and then roll it around a stick, it’s like a lollipop.
“With global warming, producers are scared to go from spring to summer in a few days, which has happened before. We just had a very good year, but last year was catastrophic because of the weather,” explains Mollé.
Different strokes for different folks
Maple syrup from Canada and United States is classified according to its colour and taste. “The colour of maple syrup varies during the season. At the start of the season, when the sap starts flowing and there’s still snow, you have a clear syrup and as you move further into the season, the syrup becomes darker,” explains Mollé.
Pure maple syrup sold to consumers is called Grade A. Under that umbrella, you have a golden colour with a delicate taste, amber colour with a rich taste, dark colour with a robust taste, and very dark colour with a strong taste.
Mollé insists that clearer doesn’t mean better; it’s just a question of preference: “The clearer the syrup, the more delicate the taste is, and the darker, the more robust the taste. Some people prefer clear syrup, while others prefer darker syrup. It’s like using different olive oils for cooking different dishes or to drizzle on top of them.”
How to use it in cooking
Johnson uses maple syrup as a sweetener in her coffee, in cocktails, and over desserts like ice-cream. “One of my favourite pairings is our bourbon maple syrup used as a glaze over fish or seafood. I find that the sweet and salty combination is a winner,” she says.
At Happyfield, his cafe in Sydney's Haberfield, Canadian chef Jesse Orleans goes through around 40 litres of maple syrup a week, which he pours on pancakes and French toast, and also sells by the can. He gets his golden maple syrup from Québec, which has to travel through Perth and Melbourne before making it to Sydney. While the process is pricey, it’s worth it. “It’s the real deal,” he says. At home, he uses it to glaze vegetables like carrots and parsnips. “To be honest, I just put it in anything instead of adding sugar," he says.
Mollé likes to use lighter syrup for dressings and in mayonnaise. When he can get his hands on venison, he’ll use the darker syrup in a sauce with red wine and pepper. “Putting your meat or fish in a marinade with maple syrup is fabulous to caramelise it,” he says. He also adds that spices like turmeric, pepper, nutmeg and clove are an excellent match for maple syrup.
Maple syrup in Australia
While the types of maple syrup we find in Australian supermarkets are limited, you can find a wider range at specialty food stores.
Make sure that the bottle contains only maple syrup, and nothing else, and that the type of maple syrup is listed. And if you see maple syrup in a can, don’t be put off, it’s how it’s most often sold in Québec.
“Maple syrup is one of the great foods of the world, just like vanilla or olive oil. It’s our pride. Yes, you can put it on crêpes and pancakes, but don’t hesitate to cook with it, there’s so much more you can do with it,” says Mollé.
