Maple syrup
Maple syrup is the thickened juice - the literature speaks of both xylem sap as well as phloem - the sugar maple ( Acer saccharum ), more rarely of black sugar maple ( Acer saccharum ssp. Nigrum ).
Components
In addition to water, the sap contains the following components:
- Sucrose
- Minerals
- Fructose
- Proteins
- Malic acid
- Glucose (only detectable towards the end of the harvest period).
Nutritional advice
Maple syrup is a sweetener and, in addition to water, mainly contains sucrose and fructose. To a small extent, fructose and glucose are available as simple sugars (monosaccharides).
production
Legend
According to tradition, a hunter of the Iroquois is said to have noticed the sweet and aromatic scent over the stove when he returned home. His wife had apparently used rainwater from a hollowed trunk under a maple tree. When the food also tasted sweet, the connection was recognized. From then on, the Indians chopped their tomahawks into the bark of the maple trees and caught the sap that ran out. They put heated stones ( cooking stones ) into the juice and thus produced the thick syrup.
Earlier
The manufacture of maple syrup was invented by the Indian peoples of northeast North America . From the end of February to April, as soon as longer sunshine ensures higher temperatures during the day, but there is still frost at night , the trees begin to transport nutrients stored in the roots into the buds. By drilling into the trunk, part of the sap can be removed without causing significant damage to the tree. The collected sap is traditionally thickened by boiling over a wood fire until the syrup has a sugar content of around 60%. When cooked, the sugar caramelizes and gives the syrup some of its characteristic flavor . A small part of the harvest is processed into maple sugar .
today
Today the trees are connected to collection containers via regular plastic pipelines. From these, the juice is automatically pumped into tank trucks, which bring the raw material to central production facilities, where it is boiled down into syrup. In the amateur sector, the boiling process is celebrated with the traditional sugaring-off party .
One liter of maple syrup takes around 30 to 50 liters of sap, which a single tree can produce in around two weeks. The trees are only suitable for juicing from the age of 40. The main production country is Canada (80-90% of world production is in and around the province of Quebec earned) in the United States applies Vermont as a stronghold of the maple syrup.
Reverse osmosis has also recently been used to make the syrup. However, the color and taste of a syrup produced in this way differ from the original product.
Maple syrup is a typical component of North American cuisine and is served with waffles , pancakes , ice cream or other desserts .
classification
The USA and Canada have had a common standardized classification system since December 13, 2016. The criterion for the classification is the amount of yellow light with a wavelength of 560 nm that shines through 10 mm of syrup. In general: the lighter the better, the aroma is finer and milder. A dark syrup, on the other hand, has almost bitter and very strong notes. The processing grade is forbidden for direct consumption in the USA due to the impurities in the syrup. The syrup should only be used as an ingredient for further processing (for example to color tobacco flavor) or for cooking. Because maple syrup contains vitamins and some minerals, it is considered very healthy in North America. The quality classifications valid in the USA must not be confused with the classifications valid in Europe (AA – D):
| European quality grade: | new, common Canadian - US quality grade | former Canadian quality grade: | former US quality grade: | Taste: | Brightness: | Light transmission |
| AA | Grade A,
golden color delicate button |
No. 1 extra light | A light amber | fine-mild | very bright | 75-100% |
| A. | Grade A
amber color rich taste |
No. 1 light (clair) | A medium amber | mildly aromatic | bright | 50-74.9% |
| B. | Grade A
dark color robust button |
No. 1 medium | A dark amber | strong | medium | 25-49.9% |
| C. | Grade A
very dark color strong taste |
No. 2 amber | B. | very strong | dark (amber) | 0-24.9% |
| D. | Processing grade | No. 2 dark | most intense | very dark | 0-24.9% |
Others
Maple syrup is becoming more common with sugar water adulterated and corrupted it.
See also
Web links
- New England Maple Syrup Museum, Vermont (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Murray W. Nabors: Botany: Study of Biology. Pearson Studium, Munich / Boston et al. 2007, ISBN 978-3-86894-040-4 , p. 140.
- ↑ from oekolandbau.de to fruit syrups, including maple syrup ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ^ Government of Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Domestic Food Safety Systems and Meat Hygiene Directorate: Labeling Requirements for Maple Products. Retrieved March 8, 2017 .
- ↑ False sweetness: Maple syrup is adulterated more and more often - with disdainful sugar water , November 2013.
- ^ Grading system. In: Producteurs et productrices acéricoles du Québec. Retrieved May 27, 2020 (Canadian English).
