Weekend Brunch Ideas - The Vegetarian Resource Group

Cooking with Maple SyrupBy Habeeb SalloumAS I WALKED AWAY FROM THE ELMIRA MAPLE SUGARFestival in Ontario, Canada, the words of thefriendly saleswoman still echoed through mymind: “Enjoy our syrup. It’s Ontario’s liquid gold. It’sthe best!” She could have been exaggerating, but theaura of the festival and the maple sweets with whichI had stuffed myself made her words plausible.The first time I stepped into a sugar maple forest—with sap dripping into buckets attached to almost everytree—I felt an air of excitement. I became intoxicatedwith the enticing odor coming from the steaming vats.All the time we stood by the smiling syrup-maker,he kept an eye on the boiling sap, or ‘liquid gold.’As happens to gold ore in itsraw stage, the maple sap wasbeing collected and refinedinto a valuable commodityright before our eyes.Ontario, Québec, and thenortheastern United States havetwo advantages when it comesto producing maple syrup.First, these areas are home tothe top seven species of sugarmaple trees, Acer saccharum(the true maple sugar tree).In addition, the cold, harshwinters that plague this sectionof North America are followedby warm and sunny spring thaws. These ideal weatherconditions produce the sweetest and most flavorfulmaple syrup to be found in any part of the world.Canada accounts for 70 percent of the world’s maplesyrup production, with 90 percent of that yield producedin Québec.European settlers to Canada and the northeasternUnited States learned techniques for harvesting thisnatural sweet from the Native Americans. In the ensuingyears, this practice became a basic part of the settlers’lives. Until the 19 th century, the major source of sugarconsumed in these areas came from maple sugar trees.Although maple syrup is now known primarily as aMaple Syrup Bread Pudding (page 21)breakfast delight, the European settlers added it to allkinds of dishes, such as maple-baked beans and mapledesserts. Even today, when the sap flows, families andfriends in Quebéc gather at the sugar hut, where tablesare heavily laden with traditional maple syrup foods.After gorging on these gourmet delights, they gatheroutside for the usual hot maple taffy, served on a bedof fresh snow. For the true Québécois, a visit to thesugar shack in spring remains a type of pilgrimage.Today, the production of maple syrup uses 21 stcentury technology; however, making the syrup remainsbasically the same as it has for centuries. The sap isstill collected in buckets, but now, a system of plastictubing transports the sap fromthe trees to tanks where it isstored for distilling.The sap’s sugar contentusually ranges from 2 to 4percent, so as much as 30-40liters of sap must be boiledto produce one liter of syrup.The condensed product containssignificant amountsof carbohydrates, potassium,and calcium as well as smallamounts of iron and phosphorus.One Tablespoon containsapproximately 50 calories. Thispure syrup is filtered and sterilizedbefore being poured into containers. Then, it canbe used to make maple sugar, maple butter, maple sugarcandy, and many other delicious products.There are many maple syrup production areasthroughout Canada and the northeastern United States,and when the sugar sap is flowing, visitors are encouragedto drop by and see them. It is a time for everyoneto have fun. Dancing, music, and merrymaking oftenenhance the hearty foods and friendly spirit that aboundin these regions.Note: For all the following recipes the maple syrup canbe increased or decreased according to taste.18 Issue One 2009 VEGETARIAN JOURNAL