What is maple syrup?

• The sap inside maple trees is the raw material.

• Its rich colour is described as .

• It can be poured over food or used for baking.

• Compared with refined sugar, it is considered a  choice.

The maple tree

• There are numerous species.

• It grows in moist soil without requiring fertiliser.

• It needs sunshine during the day and low temperatures at night.

• Canada and north-eastern North America provide the ideal .

• The maple leaf has appeared on Canada's flag since 1964.

Early maple sugar producers

• They made openings in tree trunks.

• They collected the liquid in containers made from bark.

• They placed heated  in the sap.

• The resulting sugar was used to sweeten food and drinks.

Today's maple syrup

The trees

• A trunk may need up to 40 years to reach the required .

• Changes in temperature move water through the tree and create sap.

The production

• A tap is drilled into the trunk, and a  directs the sap into a bucket.
• The evaporator pans are heated over a .
• Large quantities of  are released as the water evaporates.
• Sugar sand is filtered out to prevent a  appearance and a gritty taste.

• After filtration, the syrup is ready to be packaged.

• Forty litres of sap are needed to produce one  of maple syrup.