With the arrival of spring, another season dawns on Canada which satisfies all the sweet tooths out there – maple syrup season! A trip down to the sugar shack is a spring tradition especially for those in Eastern Canada. The warmer weather that comes with spring turns the starch stored in maple trees into a golden treasure ready for tapping.
But how did this beloved treat come to be? Canada is the largest producer and exporter of maple products with a whopping average of 60 million kilograms being exported annually. Quebec leads the way in this market, representing 96% of exports.
We owe a great deal to the Indigenous peoples of Canada for the discovery of this sweet harvest. It is recorded by Indigenous tribes that they would tap trees by cutting into the maple trees with willow tubing, and then bowls were placed underneath to catch the maple sap. The sweet harvest would then be used to cure meats which would preserve food and sustain tribes during the harsh winter months.
But the use of maple sap did not stop there. The sap could be boiled to create the syrup we know and love today.
French settlers arrived and loved the sweet sap just as much as the Indigenous peoples. They would begin production of maple products in the 18th century, and even sent products back to their homeland for all to enjoy including King Louis XIV, who especially enjoyed dragée (the French word for maple sugar candy).
So, when this month seems a bit drab and chilly, remember maple syrup is there to warm up your spirits just as it did centuries ago for the Indigenous peoples and settles of Canada.
