The maple syrup is a Sirop produced starting from the water of maple or the maple sap of the beginning of spring that one concentrated by boiling. It is produced in the Forêt S of the North-East of the North America (Ontario, Quebec and Vermont mainly) and is sold today everywhere in the world.

The technique was already well controlled by the indigenous populations of the Canada at the time of the arrival of Europeans. One made use of it in particular like tonic Aliment, in spring. Many a Amerindian legends puts in scene maple syrup.

Manufacture of maple syrup

Among the many species of maple S, two are mainly used for the production of maple syrup: the black maple ( Acer nigrum ) and the maple with sugar ( Acer saccharum ).

The maple syrup is mainly produced with the Canada - 83% of world harvest - particularly in the province of Quebec, with a weaker production in Ontario. It is also produced in certain States of the the United States of America. However, the production of maple syrup in the United States tends to remain constant while that of Canada was multiplied by two in twenty years.

Collect maple sap

The acériculteurs collect maple sap at the end of the winter or at the beginning of spring, according to the areas, when it remains of snow on the ground and that nights of freezing are followed by days of thaw. Indeed, this water contains approximately 2% to sugar 3%. This sugar (primarily of the Saccharose) is stored in the roots with the autumn where it spends the winter. In spring, it assembles by lower part the bark in the totality of the tree in order to provide sufficient energy to start again its metabolism.

Attention! the maple sap is not the sap. This one, definitely charged out of complex minerals and organic molecules, goes up by the roots only when the metabolism of the tree is started again. The arrival of the sap and its bitter taste marks the end of the maple sap harvest. Therefore, one does not collect the sap but sap maple.

One never collects the water of a maple whose trunk makes less than 20 cm in diameter. The general rule is thus to wait up to 45 years after the plantation of a maple before starting to collect its water. However, a maple with sugar can live up to 300 years, even more. It can thus give water to each spring during a great number of years.

Evaporation

It is only after evaporation that water becomes more consistent and gives rise to maple syrup. It is necessary between 35 and 40 liters of maple sap to obtain one liter of syrup.

It is important not to evaporate neither too much, nor too little. Because, if the syrup is too dense, it will crystallize. And, if it is too liquid, it is likely to ferment. The ideal temperature to give to maple syrup is of 3,5 °C moreover than the boiling point of water, for example, with 101,3 kPa, water boiling with 100 °C, the syrup will be ready when it reaches 103,5 °C. It is necessary to adapt these values to that of the atmospheric pressure of the place (altitude) and the moment. One can also measure the density of the end product using a Hydrotherme.

The maple syrup is then classified by color: the extra one clearly with dark. More the syrup is clear, better is the class, but less the taste is marked. The finest syrup is produced in semi-season. For a long time, the preference went towards a maple syrup which is most clearly possible. To include/understand that, it should be known that, until the 18th century, the maple syrup was mainly consumed directly by the producers or their close relations. At the time, it was for these people more difficult and expensive to obtain cane sugar than maple syrup. One sought to obtain a maple sugar who approaches cane sugar as much as possible. Today, some return to more coloured syrups because they have a taste more pronounced.

Various qualities of influential maple syrup and sap on the process, generally carried out with the Hut with sugar.

Classification

The acériculteurs classify maple syrup in five categories:

    Extra
  • clearly: AA
  • Clearly: With
  • Medium: B
  • Amber: C
  • Dark: D

Use

  • Accompaniment on crepes or waffles.
  • In many receipts (e.g.: baked beans).
  • the Maple taffy consists of syrup, heated until having a consistency much firmer. Traditionally, one deposits it hot on snow, which makes it cool, to taste it with a stick. Once cooled, much denser, it is also sold out of pot and is eaten with the spoon.
  • Always after reduction by evaporation, one obtains butter of maple (which can be used like tartinade on toast) or of the maple sugar (soft sugar or hard sugar) which can be used in the clothes industry of desserts.
  • In the natural Yoghourt, in the fruit place.
  • With ice cream (vanilla,…).
  • to cook certain meats, of which the pig, the Ham or raised coasts.
  • Candies with maple, hard or soft.
  • Alcoholic drink containing maple syrup (wine, sparkling wine, aperitifs).
  • etc

The Councils

  • Presence of crystals in syrup. This phenomenon is explained by an imbalance between the quantity of sugar and water contained in syrup. To cure the situation, heat it in Bain-marie until the crystals are quite dissolved.

  • You benefitted from the season of sugars to make maple syrup provision? Preserve it at the refrigerator or the freezer until next spring. Once the opened can, transfer the contents in a container provided with a hermetic lid.
  • Appearance of films blanchâtres on the surface: pass syrup through a Coton to cheese and bring it to boiling; pour it in a bottle then and use it as soon as possible.

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