GLAZED & CONFUSED
It's one of our lead exports and a Canadian favourite, but how much do we really know about maple syrup?
Canada is the world's leading exporter of maple products, with an estimated 11,000 farms pumping out 70 per cent of global supply from 47 million taps. In 2016, that amounted to more than 45 million litres of maple syrup sold to more than 50 countries.
Blame a certain well-acknowledged coffee-and-doughnut chain for convincing Canadians that almost any food or drink can be “infused” or “glazed” with maple syrup. Liberally applying it to its menu items, the purveyor of double-doubles has turned the liquid gold into something of a Canuck ketchup — it goes with anything.
Then again, history would appear to be on Tim's side.
Maple syrup — the “sweet water” tapped and savoured by the Indigenous peoples of the eastern woodlands well before European settlement — was used to baste venison and to preserve all manner of meats through the harsh winter months.
Perfecting the “sugaring off” process that still thrives in Central Canada, the Anishinaabe later taught French settlers the techniques for boiling the sap of the maple tree, transforming the viscous bounty into long-lasting sugar slabs and into the succulent syrup we savour today.
It wasn't long before Quebecers began drizzling maple syrup into everything from their daily cups of joe to desserts, salad dressings, casseroles and meat platters, giving rise to such maple-soaked oddities as deep-fried pork jowls — known as oreilles de crisse, or Christ's ears.
And as with olive oil, there are various grades and shades from light golden yellow (subtly sweet) to dark amber (earthy and rich).
For most of us outside the product's eastern heartland, though, maple syrup is chiefly associated with pancake breakfasts and cutesy curios flogged to travellers at airport departure lounges.
The cure for that is simple: a pilgrimage to a sugar shack, or cabane à sucre as it's known in French.
Canada is the world's leading exporter of maple products, with an estimated 11,000 farms pumping out 70 per cent of global supply from 47 million taps. In 2016, that amounted to more than 45 million litres of maple syrup sold to more than 50 countries.
The province of Quebec is responsible for a full 90 per cent of that output, and is clearly the place to start for those eager to learn more about this sweet science.
Tap these sugar houses for a delicious insight into one of Canada's most enduring symbols:
VANIER MUSEOPARK
Located about five kilometres from Parliament Hill in downtown Ottawa, the Vanier Museopark bills itself as one of the few fully functional urban sugar shacks and traces its syrup-making origins to a group of missionaries who established a maple grove in the 1930s. The current sugar shack was built in 1999 after the devastating ice storm the year before, and many of the downed trees were used in its construction. Each year a team of volunteers produces some 600 litres of maple syrup, including from sap harvested at the Governor General's garden. Open yearround, the seven-hectare complex sheds a light on the area's Franco-Ontarian identity while serving up traditional meals from February to April at its restaurant. (museoparc.ca)
SUCRERIE DE LA MONTAGNE
Since 1978, the Sucrerie de la Montagne, west of Montreal, has been whisking visitors back to pioneer times at its year-round érablière (sugar bush) forest atop Mont Rigaud. While some sugar shacks mimic the look and feel of voyageur days, this designated Quebec heritage site is the genuine article. Horse-drawn sleighs
ferry guests in comfort around the 48-hectare site, a village-like setting in which each home represents a different historical perspective on Québécois society.
Founder Pierre Faucher and his son Stefan work hard to carry on their forebears' craftsmanship, using original equipment in creating their artisanal maple syrup and welcoming those who want to sleep off the sticky treats at an array of cosy cottages. Want the memories to linger? Splash out on maple perfume at the gift shop. (sucreriedelamontagne.com)
AU CHALET EN BOIS ROND
The tourist village of Au Chalet en Bois Rond, northwest of Quebec City, also tips a hat to pioneer days by using age-old tools — buckets, boilers, torches and spouts — to make its syrup. “You can walk behind the horse-drawn sleigh as we bring the sap to the sugar shack,” the owners note. “As you are enveloped by the sweet smell of boiling sap, you can stir the cauldron with the large paddle and meet our maple sugar expert.” Period music and unlimited maple taffy (boiled syrup poured on lines of snow and then enjoyed like a Popsicle) round out the experience. Accommodation options include more than 60 cabins and Scandinavian-style chalets. (auchaletenboisrond.com)
ÉRABLIÈRE CHARBONNEAU
Though a relative newcomer, the Érablière Charbonneau has quickly become a favoured family destination since its founding 16 years ago. In 2004, owner Melanie Charbonneau joined forces with her parents to buy an old shack “with the dream of turning it into a festive place where the atmosphere would be just as important as the food.” Located south of Montreal in Mont- Saint- Grégoire, it lays on maple taffy demonstrations alongside Saturday-night live music, a petting zoo, snowshoeing, and sleigh and pony rides. On the menu: meat pies, baked beans, cretons (a pork-based spread), buckwheat pancakes and pea soup. The Charbonneaus also sell their own cider. (erablierecharbonneau.qc.ca)
SUGAR MOON FARM
Indulgent brunches and guest chef nights featuring the Maritimes' top talent are the attractions at the family-run Sugar Moon Farm in northern Nova Scotia. Sprawling over 80 hectares with 2,500 taps, this bustling maple farm, pancake restaurant and woodlot in the Cobequid Hills has been an integral part of the local agriculture scene since its founding in 1996 as Boondocks Maple Products and Pancake House. “Our home is located just below the sugar woods and our lives are steeped in maple,” owners Scott and Quita say on their website. “We don't go a day without eating it.” As well as good eats, souvenirs and interpretive tours, 30 kilometres of nearby wilderness trails beckon. (sugarmoon.ca)