Maple Syrup Lore and Legend

Spring brings winter's thaw and with it, the running of the maple sap. The sugaring season begins as early as January and continues into April. Unlike our ancestors, we need not wait for spring to arrive to enjoy pure maple syrup.

Who thought of using the sap of a tree as a sweetener in the first place? According to Native American legends, here is how the story goes, and it does sound like a fairly plausible accident.

Maple Syrup Lore and Legend

Legend has it that the first accidental sugarmaker was an Iroquois squaw. The legend recounts that as he went off to hunt, her husband yanked his tomahawk from a tree where it had been thrown the night before. The weather had turned warm and the sap ran from the cut in the tree into a container at the base of the tree.

The woman found the container of clear liquid, and thinking it was water, cooked a meal in it. The resulting sweetness and flavor delighted the Chief and thus led to sugarmaking.

More About Maple Syrup and Maple Syrup Recipes

• Maple Syrup Storage, Substitutions, and Cooking Tips
• Maple Syrup Grades and Quality Standards
• Maple Syrup Production - How to make maple syrup
• Maple Syrup History
• Maple Syrup Lore and Legend
• Maple Syrup Recipes
_{Maple Syrup Photo © 2008 Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, licensed to About.com, Inc.}