Facts about Maple Syrup

1. 08

   Grade A maple syrup was reclassified in 2015 into light amber, medium amber, and dark amber categories, replacing the previous system of fancy, medium, and dark grades.

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2. 07

   Maple syrup crystals form when the hot syrup is poured onto clean snow and rolled with a wooden stick, creating a traditional Canadian candy called tire sur la neige.

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3. 06

   Maple syrup's distinctive flavor develops through the Maillard reaction, a chemical process occurring when amino acids and sugars heat above 300 degrees Fahrenheit during boiling.

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4. 05

   Canada's provinces produce over 10 million gallons of maple syrup yearly, with Quebec accounting for approximately 72 percent of global maple syrup production.

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5. 04

   Indigenous peoples of North America harvested maple syrup for thousands of years before European contact, using clay vessels and hot stones to boil sap into a concentrated sweetener.

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6. 03

   Pure maple syrup reaches a temperature of 7 degrees Fahrenheit above the boiling point of water during the final stages of processing to achieve proper thickness and consistency.

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7. 02

   Vermont produces approximately 2 million gallons of maple syrup annually, accounting for roughly 37 percent of total United States production.

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8. 01

   Producing one gallon of maple syrup requires boiling approximately 40 gallons of raw sap collected from sugar maple trees.

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