There are few things in nature as sweet as real maple syrup. Now, if you’ve never tasted “real” maple syrup, there’s no way to describe its unique flavor and pure goodness. It’s a natural wonder of the world!
The “syrup” that I grew up with was filled with corn syrup and artificial “maple” flavor. Whether you like it or not, it has never met a tree.
History
It was the Native American tribes of the northeastern United States and southeast Canada who first showed French and British settlers how to draw the sap of the sugar maple tree and reduce it into a sweet, thick liquid known today as maple syrup.
In order to be considered pure maple syrup, a product must be 100% pure. Products containing other ingredients are labeled table or pancake syrup.
Did You Know?
• A tree needs to be about 40 years (10-12 inches in diameter) to be large enough to tap.
• A maple tree can yield sap (used for making syrup) for 100 years.
• It takes roughly 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup.
• Maple sap is mostly crystal-clear water with about 2% sugar content.
• A typical sugaring season lasts 4 to 6 weeks. A pattern of freezing and thawing temperatures (below freezing at night and 40-45 degrees Fahrenheit during the day) will build up pressure within the trees causing the sap to flow from the tap holes.
• Sugaring season ends when the warmer days of late spring cause the leaf buds to unfold.
• All of the syrup is now labeled Grade A, and there are descriptors to help you understand color and flavor.
Nutrition
Maple syrup is a high-calorie food. It has 12 grams of sugar in one tablespoon. That tablespoon has 52 calories and 13 grams of carbohydrates. The vitamin content of maple syrup is extremely low. However, there are minerals present in measurable quantities. One tablespoon of maple syrup contains approximately 33% of your daily value of manganese, which is essential for healthy bones. Other minerals found in maple syrup include: zinc, copper, calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium.
Maple Syrup Classifications
To know you’re getting the right level of maple intensity, you’ve got to know which grade to buy. Not sure? There are two primary maple syrup classifications, with additional subcategories based on color and flavor profiles. The grades refer directly to the color and taste of the sap. Syrup made from sap collected early in the season has a lighter color, while syrup made later in the season, when the weather is warmer, is darker. The darker the syrup, the stronger the flavor.
Grade A Golden Color, Delicate Taste: This smooth flavor is one of the most delicate of all the maple syrup grades. This syrup is ideal for drizzling over waffles, pancakes, and French toast or making maple cream and maple candies.
Grade A Amber Color, Rich Taste: This maple syrup grade is slightly darker than the Golden Delicate and is known for its smooth maple flavor. Its unique and subtle flavor is most often used for table syrup. This grade of maple syrup is a little more flavorful and works well when cooking and baking.
Grade A Dark Color, Robust Taste: Both the color and the maple flavor are stronger and more intense than the Amber, Rich. It is best used for recipes that require a heavy maple flavor. Its strong maple flavor lends itself to meat glazes, cooking recipes, and atop of waffles, pancakes, or oatmeal.
Grade A Very Dark Color, Strong Taste: Used primarily as a commercial ingredient, this dark syrup presents a strong maple flavor. This maple syrup grade is very popular among food manufacturers. This grade of maple syrup is very strong, and probably best used as a substitute for molasses and for making maple-flavored candies.
Processing Grade Maple Syrup: The processing grade of maple syrup is suitable as an ingredient in food products, but may contain off odors or flavors and cannot be graded as grade A. It is not permitted for retail sale.
Maple syrup often conjures up images of pancakes being doused in the natural sweeter, and for a good reason, they pair exceptionally well together. However, many don’t realize pure Vermont maple syrup can enhance beverages, desserts, and endless dishes. Get cooking!
Written by Vicki Hayman, MS, University of Wyoming Extension Nutrition and Food Safety Educator
Sources:
- britannica.com; United States Department of Agriculture