Maple syrup

/ˈmeɪpəl ˈsɪrəp/ noun

Definition

A sweet syrup made by concentrating the sap of sugar maple trees, with a distinctive woodsy flavor that ranges from delicate to robust depending on when in the season it's harvested.

Etymology

From Old English 'mapul' (maple tree) and Greek 'syrupos' (sweet drink). Indigenous peoples of northeastern North America developed maple syrup production centuries before European contact, teaching the technique to early colonists who refined and commercialized the process.

Kelly Says

It takes approximately 40 gallons of maple sap to produce just one gallon of maple syrup, and the entire harvest season lasts only 4-6 weeks when temperatures fluctuate between freezing nights and warm days! The complex flavor develops from over 300 chemical compounds created during the concentration process, many of which are the same compounds found in vanilla, coffee, and whiskey.

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