History of Maple Syrup

History of Maple Syrup. . , The history of maple sugar production is rich in lore and legend. Written accounts date back several hundred years, but its exact origins have never been authenticated. It is most commonly believed that Native Americans were the first to discover the value of maple sap, perhaps by eating the sweet sapsicles hanging at the end of broken twigs during the winter thaw. One the first references to maple sugar was in 1685, which noted that it ran from a wound in a tree made by a thrown tomahawk., Early sugar makers made slits in maple trees and collected the sap in birch bark buckets. They boiled it in hollowed logs using hot stones to create rich and sweet syrup. Because they had no easy way to preserve or transport the syrup in a liquid form, they reduced the sap to a crystallized sugar state through evaporation. Maple sugar was easily stored and used to sweeten foods and drinks. It was also used for medicinal purposes and given as gifts. This is how the European settlers who came to North America learned of the confection., The early colonists adopted new technologies for collecting sap and making maple sugar. They bore[d] holes into trees, inserted wooden or metal spouts, collected the sap in metal buckets and boiled it over an open fire. While the method of making maple products has become much more efficient over the years, the basic process remains the same today., Throughout the 1700 and 1800s, maple sugar was an important commodity. Maple trees were plentiful and maple products were traded at local stores for supplies. It was the most common household sweetener and was promoted as an alternative to West Indian "slave-produced" cane sugar., In 1890, the import tax on white cane sugar was removed, causing a significant drop in price. Cane sugar soon outpaced maple sugar as the main sugar source in the United States. When maple sugar become less profitable, sugarmakers turned to producing, bottling and selling maple syrup. This confectionary quickly gained popularity, and was exported to Europe as a delicacy or treat., The maple industry is among North America's first agricultural enterprises and remains an important part of Pennsylvania's history. Maple sugaring is embraced as a traditional sign of early spring across North America and many towns have festivals that celebrate the maple harvest., Today we still enjoy the special flavor of maple syrup that original settlers learned about from Native Americans more than 200 years ago., In addition to syrup, sweet maple treats include candy, cream, granulated sugar.