Most maple syrup comes from Canada where it must be at least 66% sugar to qualify as “maple syrup” (typically a higher percentage than that found in the USA). In the USA “maple syrup” must be made almost exclusively from maple sap. (Note that these standards are not strictly comparable because they are based on different criteria.)
Maple syrup is the stuff that you put on pancakes, waffles, and french toast. Avoid any syrup which is not called “maple syrup” if at all possible. Things like ‘pancake syrup” are generally made with high fructose corn syrup.
Maple syrup is produced mainly from the xylem sap of three maple species; sugar, red, and black and mostly in Quebec, Canada. The sugar content of the sap of these tree species is from 2 to 5 percent.
Indigenous peoples were producing maple syrup when the Europeans first arrived in the northeastern part of North America. The Europeans quickly caught on!
Sucrose is the major sugar found in maple sap.
Once the sap is collected (a photo of the traditional European method is shown above) it is boiled down, the volume being reduced to 1/20 to 1/50 of that at the start of the process.
Maple syrup is graded based on color/density with the lighter colored syrups considered more desirable.