IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MAPLE SYRUP AND
TABLE SYRUP?
In a Blog called the Exchange The 'McKenty Books' forum on life and current events. The author writes "Catharine and I often
have brunch at a well-known Montreal restaurant named Beauty’s. We always
order the same items. Fresh orange juice, blueberry pancakes and
bacon. Catharine orders the more expensive real maple syrup.
I use the regular table syrup and it is perfectly satisfactory to me.
It is true, however, that it is all too easy to misrepresent
real maple syrup. Rigtht now two American senators have a bill in the
hopper that would impose tougher sanctions for the marketing of other
syrups as maple syrup.
Table syrup is sickly sweet. While maple syrup may be
expensive, even a small amount transforms a plain waffle or pancake, a simple
slice of ham or cube of tofu, or a mustardy salad dressing.
But does Canada do enough to protect maple syrup?
Quebec forbids the use of the word “maple” or of maple-leaf shapes or
pictures, on any bottle that does not contain 100 per-cent pure maple
syrup. But Quebec is the only province that does this? Some
restaurants still pass off inferior syrups and most customers do not notice or
they acquiesce.
Is there a difference between maple syrup and table syrup?"
http://neilmckenty.com/2011/11/27/is-there-a-difference-between-maple-syrup-and-table-syrup/
Well I certainly agree with the author, there is a difference! I grew up on table syrup and the infamous Aunt Jemima Syrup. What kid would not want to have a talking bottle on their breakfast table? It was all I knew. That is until a family member introduced it to me. I was, I admit, skeptical at first. After all it did not look like the syrup I was used too, it was too thin and did not have that rich dark color of my talking bottle syrup. However the difference was in the taste. It was amazing, and to think, this came from a TREE! Amazing.....
Not only doe it taste amazing it has one ingredient: Sap. This sap comes from Maple Trees. It takes about 40 gallons of Maple Sap to make one gallon of Maple Syrup.
Table syrup ingredients include: corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, water, natural and artificial flavors, cellulose gum, salt, caramel color, sodium benzoate, sorbic acid, and sodium hexametaphosphate. Hmmmm I cant even pronounce some of that.
I have to go with natural maple syrup....In fact for a product to be called Maple Syrup it must be made almost entirely from sap. Taste is not the only difference; price difference between the two syrups is substantial. While table syrup only costs about 14 cents per once, maple syrup costs about a dollar per once. Is it worth it? That depends....to me it is. Each year for Christmas I receive a quart of Maple Syrup, which will last me about a year.
Thanks for reading.....
