Maple syrup is the odd one out, as it is produced from the sap of sugar or black or red maple trees. It can also be made from the sap of big leaf maples. Apple, banana and strawberry syrup are made from their respective fruits.
In colder climates, trees store starch in their roots and stems. This starch is converted into sugars, mostly sucrose, which rises up in the sap in spring. The sap is collected by boring holes into the trunks of maple trees and catching the sap as it flows out of the tree.
The collected sap is then processed through heating, which results in a lot of the contained water to evaporate. The remaining product is the concentrated syrup.
The indigenous people of North America were the first to collect and use the sap of maples. As European settlers arrived, they took on and improved the practice. Advances in technology during the 70s refined the process even further.
Maple syrup is generally used to accompany pancakes, waffles, French toast or oatmeal porridge. It also has many uses in cooking and baking, both as a sweetener and as a flavoring. A combination of Pecan nuts and Maple syrup make a particularly delicious cake.
Canada and the US (particularly Vermont) use different scales to grade the syrup, although all of them are based on its translucency and density. The Canadian scale requires Maple syrup to have a minimum sugar content of 66%, while US regulations demand that it consists of almost pure Maple sap.
The Sugar Maple tree and Maple syrup are symbols not only for Canada, but also for several US states, most notably New Hampshire and Vermont.
