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You have probably heard of Canadian maple syrup, and hopefully you have tried it and enjoyed it. Even if you dislike sweet flavours, when you try the right one, you might discover that it is undoubtedly tasty; at least, that is what happened to me. Today I want to share with you seven ways to enjoy Canadian maple syrup and take a brief look at one of Canada's sweetest sides.
Table of Contents
First and foremost, what is Canadian Maple Syrup and how it is obtained?
Maple syrup is one of the many things that Canada is famous for. Even the Canadian flag proudly displays a Maple leaf. When maple trees are 30 to 40 years old, they are tapped for their sweet sap, which can be collected until the trees are 100 years old. In average, forty gallons of sap are needed in order to make one gallon of maple syrup. The season starts in late winter to early spring and can last up to 4 weeks, though there can be changes in timing.
It is now estimated that 85% of the world's maple syrup comes from Canada, with Quebec being the largest producer. This procedure however was first developed by the indigenous peoples of northern North America.
Canadian Maple Syrup Grades
Once obtained, maple syrup is classified into three different categories to recognize its flavour and profile.
Grade A
Golden Colour and Delicate Taste
Amber Colour and Rich Taste
Dark Colour and Robust Taste
Very Dark Colour and Strong Taste
These variations in colour and flavour are the result of the time of the tapping season in which they occurred, with golden being the first syrup of the season and very dark being the last one.
Processing Grade is a maple syrup that does not meet the grade A category, so it can only be sold in larger containers of 20 litres or more for manufacturing other products.
Substandard Maple Syrup is maple syrup that failed to obtain even the processing grade.
Maple Syrup Producers in BC
Yes, you read that right. It is not only in the eastern part of Canada that this sweet liquid is obtained and produced. BC is actually a small producer, thanks to the bigleaf maple tree, which in Canada, exclusively grows in the southwest corner of this beautiful province.
If you want to taste BC's maple syrup, here are a couple sites where you can buy it:
7 Ways to Enjoy Canadian Maple Syrup
Now this is the part where we get to try different ways to enjoy Canadian maple syrup. These are small recipes that are found on different websites and books, and we tried to find the perfect amount of flavour for us. In the same way, we encourage you to try them and decide on the quantity of maple syrup your palate is most happy with. For all these recipes, we used the "Dark Colour and Robust Taste" maple syrup, but of course you can choose your favourite one.
Let's begin.
Jump to recipes:
Maple-Glazed Salmon
For this recipe, you will need:
1/4 cup of Canadian maple syrup 2 tbsp. of soy sauce 2 cloves of garlic 1/8 tsp of ground pepper 1 salmon fillet
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the salmon fillet in a baking dish. You can leave it whole, but I would recommend slicing it so it can get more of the glaze around the pieces. In a small container, combine maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, and ground pepper, and cover the salmon with the glaze.
You can leave it to marinate in the glaze if you have time, but I personally don't think it is necessary.
Place the salmon in the oven and let it cook until it reaches 145 F.
For suggestions, you can serve with quinoa, roasted veggies (carrots, celery, mushrooms), and fresh cucumber.
Recipe makes three servings.
French Toast topped with Maple Cinnamon Apples
For this recipe, you will need:
2 large eggs 1 pinch of salt 1 tsp of vanilla extract 1/3 cup of milk 1 tsp of arrowroot (optional, but I find it helps thicken the egg mixture)
4 sourdough bread slices
1/2 tsp of butter (and more as needed) 1 apple slice 1/4 tsp of cinnamon powder 1 Tbsp of Canadian maple syrup
Instructions: Warm a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. While the skillet is warming up, whisk the eggs and add salt, vanilla extract, milk, and arrowroot.
Dip the pieces of bread in the egg mixture, making sure to soak both sides.
Add the butter to the skillet, place the bread, and cook both sides until golden brown.
While the bread is cooking, warm up another skillet and sauté the sliced apples for 5 minutes. Add cinnamon and maple syrup, stir, and cook for another 5 minutes.
Serve the bread with maple-cinnamon apples on top and enjoy.
Note: For a variation, you can also top it with pecans, use bananas instead of apples, or combine, like we did, apples, blueberries, and a few goji berries.
Recipe makes two servings.
Maple Corn
For this recipe, you will need:
6 cobs of corn
1/4 cup of Canadian maple syrup
4 Tbsp of unsalted butter (melted)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions: Cook the corn cobs as you like; we recommend roasting them for a more flavourful finish. While they are roasting, combine the maple syrup, butter, salt, and pepper in a small container. Remove the corns from the heat and evenly spread the maple syrup-butter mixture. Serve as a snack or as a meal side.
Tip: If your household is small, like mine, and you want to roast fewer corn cobs, I recommend making the same quantity of maple syrup-butter mixture and saving the unused mixture to try in other recipes, such as chicken or vegetables.
Maple-Chia Overnight Oats
For this recipe, you will need:
2 cups of soy milk
1 cup of rolled oats
1 Tbsp of chia seeds
1/2 tsp of Canadian maple syrup
Cinnamon to taste
Instructions:
In a mason jar, combine all the ingredients, making sure to mix them very well. For a thick consistency, leave them in the fridge overnight or at least for two hours before serving.
This recipe welcomes a lot of variations; you can serve it with bananas, blueberries, strawberries, nuts, cocoa powder, beet powder, and so on. It's a very good option to take with you if you need to eat on the way or wish to have breakfast in the park or by the beach.
Recipe makes three servings.
Pineapple-Maple Popsicles
For this recipe, you will need:
2 cups of fresh pineapple, chopped
1 cup of coconut milk or coconut cream
1 lime
2 Tbsp of Canadian maple syrup
1 tsp of vanilla extract
Instructions:
In a blender, combine all the ingredients and blend until creamy and smooth. Pour the mixture into a popsicle mould and leave it in the freezer, preferably overnight. To remove the popsicles from the mould, run them under warm water. Enjoy!
Recipe makes eight popsicles.
Maple-Ginger Shrimp
For this recipe, you will need:
1 Tbsp of butter
1 lb of shrimp, cleaned and deveined
1 Tbsp of freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp of Canadian maple syrup
1 Tbsp of ginger sliced
Sea salt to taste
Fresh herbs as garnish
Instructions:
In a large pan, melt butter, being careful not to burn it, then add all the ingredients except for the fresh herbs and cook until pink before serving.
For suggestions, you can serve it on a bed of rice with raw veggies like red pepper, cucumber, carrots, and tomatoes.
Please note that this recipe can be a little spicy as the maple syrup flavour is very subtle. You can play with the recipe and add less ground pepper or a bit more maple syrup, depending on your cravings.
Recipe makes three servings.
And our last idea (because we couldn't leave bacon behind), we have:
Maple caramelized bacon
For this recipe, you will need:
Bacon
Desired amount of Canadian maple syrup
Instructions:
In a previously warmed skillet, place the desired amount of bacon and pour the desired amount of Canadian maple syrup over it. Cook until it reaches your desired level of crispiness, turning occasionally.
Serve and enjoy with your favourite meal.
Wrapping up:
Trying new recipes is fun as is, but involving maple syrup makes them extra fun and delicious, even for the harder-to-please. I can only imagine all the possibilities. If you are keen to embark yourself on one of the sweetest journeys there is, please don't hesitate to share the outcome with us, and if you have a favourite maple syrup recipe, please let us know in the comments below.