What would American pancakes be without maple syrup?
How is maple syrup made?
Maple syrup is a popular sugar alternative that is essential as a topping for pancakes, especially in North America. The popular syrup originally comes from Canada, where it is particularly valued as a cultural asset.
Maple syrup is the sweet sap of the maple tree. It is boiled down to make it durable. Typically, maple syrup has about 60 percent sugar content, so it has about a third fewer calories than pure sugar for the same amount.
Based on its color and aroma, maple syrup can be divided into different quality levels ranging from AA to D. Syrup of the best quality level AA has a very light color and a pleasantly mild aroma. The poorer the quality, the darker the color and the stronger the aroma.
The high quality levels are particularly suitable for raw consumption, for example as a topping for pancakes or fruit. The cheaper variants, on the other hand, can be used well for baking or as a sweetener for sauces.
Is Maple Syrup Really Healthy?
Unlike refined white sugar, maple syrup also contains vitamins and minerals. Maple syrup is particularly rich in zinc and manganese. In addition, Canadian scientists found 24 different antioxidants in maple syrup in a study. Antioxidants protect our body from free radicals from the environment and can thus prevent the development of civilization diseases. Thus, maple syrup is healthier than regular white sugar.
However, you should note that maple syrup is still a sugar. You should therefore always enjoy it in moderation. Excessive sugar consumption promotes the development of:
overweight and obesity
diabetes
cardiovascular diseases
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that you should consume no more than six teaspoons of sugar per day.
How sustainable is maple syrup?
Almost all of the maple syrup produced worldwide comes from the Canadian province of Québec. The syrup therefore usually has a long transport route behind it before it reaches our supermarket. You should therefore only use maple syrup if you absolutely need it for a dish because of its aroma.
If you only want to use the syrup as a sweetener anyway, it is better to use a more sustainable alternative such as honey or sugar beet syrup. Unlike agave syrup, rice syrup and maple syrup, these can be produced locally.
