Canadian Thanksgiving and Tasting Maple Syrup with Oliver!
This week with Oliver. Amazing!
Maple syrup
Bottled maple syrup
| |
| Place of origin | Canada United States |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Xylem sap (usually from sugar maple, red maple, or black maple) |
 Cookbook: Maple syrup  Media: Maple syrup | |
Maple syrup is a syrup usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees, although it can also be made from other maple species. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring. Maple trees are tapped by drilling holes into their trunks and collecting the exuded sap, which is processed by heating to evaporate much of the water, leaving the concentrated syrup.
Maple syrup was first collected and used by the indigenous peoples of North America, and the practice was adopted by European settlers, who gradually refined production methods. Technological improvements in the 1970s further refined syrup processing. The Canadian province of Quebec is by far the largest producer, responsible for 70% of the world's output; Canadian exports of maple syrup in 2016 were C$ 487 million (about US$ 360 million), with Quebec accounting for some 90% of this total.Vermont is the largest producer in the United States, generating about 6% of the global supply.
Maple syrup is graded according to the Canada, United States, or Vermont scales based on its density and translucency. Sucrose is the most prevalent sugar in maple syrup. In Canada, syrups must be made exclusively from maple sap to qualify as maple syrup and must also be at least 66 percent sugar. In the United States, a syrup must be made almost entirely from maple sap to be labelled as "maple", though states such as Vermont and New York have more restrictive definitions (see below).
Maple syrup is often eaten with pancakes, waffles, French toast, oatmeal or porridge. It is also used as an ingredient in baking and as a sweetener or flavouring agent. Culinary experts have praised its unique flavour, although the chemistry responsible is not fully understood.
Contents: Thanksgiving in America vs Thanksgiving in Canada
- 1 Origins and Significance
- 2 Date of Thanksgiving
- 3 Differences in Traditions
Origins and Significance
Thanksgiving in Canada originated purely as a harvest festival. On January 31, 1957, the Canadian Parliament proclaimed:A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed – to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October.
English explorer Martin Frobisher hosted the first Canadian Thanksgiving. It was held in what is now Newfoundland during his expedition's attempts to find the Northwest Passage to the Orient in 1578 and marked their safe arrival to the New World. So it was not hosted to celebrate a bountiful harvest. With time, French, Scottish and German immigrants to Canada added some of their traditions to the harvest festival. American traditions like the turkey were added by the United Empire Loyalists around the time of the American Revolution.The first American Thanksgiving was celebrated 43 years later in 1621 at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in Massachusetts. The Wampanoag Native Americans helped the pilgrims who arrived in Massachusetts cultivate the land and fish, saving them from starvation. At harvest time in the winter of 1621, they were very thankful that they had a good crop of food to eat during the coming winter. They thanked God and the Wampanoags for teaching them how to grow crops. The Thanksgiving holiday became a national phenomenon during the Civil War and a true national holiday during FDR's presidency. This article in the New York Times describes in detail the history of the Thanksgiving holiday and its various proponents, from Sara Hale to George Washington to Lincoln to Franklin Roosevelt.Date of Thanksgiving
In the United States, Thanksgiving was observed on various dates but by the mid 20th century, most states celebrated on the last Thursday in November. On December 26, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill into law making Thanksgiving a national holiday and settling it to the 4th Thursday in November. The day after Thanksgiving is also a holiday so Thanksgiving is always a 4-day weekend for Americans.Similarly in Canada, the festival did not have a fixed date until the late 19th century, at which time it was typically held on November 6. In 1957 the Canadian Parliament proclaimed Thanksgiving to be observed on the 2nd Monday of October. Thanksgiving is a 3-day weekend in Canada.Differences in Traditions
There are many common Thanksgiving traditions in Canada and the United States.Travel and family
In both countries Thanksgiving is a time to get together with family. In the U.S. the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is the busiest travel day of the year. Some Canadians use the 3-day holiday for a weekend getaway.Thanksgiving meal
During the American Revolution, Americans loyal to Englandmoved to Canada and brought along Thanksgiving customs and practices. So there are many similarities in the Thanksgiving meals in both countries.The featured item in a traditional Thanksgiving meal in America is turkey (Thanksgiving is sometimes called "Turkey Day"). The meal is usually a feast cooked for 5-10 people because families (and friends) often get together on this day. Stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet corn, other fall vegetables, and pumpkin pie are commonly associated with Thanksgiving dinner.There are some differences between Canadian and American recipes for Thanksgiving. For example,- Canadian pumpkin pie is spicy, with ginger, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, while American pumpkin pie is typically sweet and has custard in it.
- Canadians bake their sweet potatoes or mash them into a puree, while Americans add butter, sugar and spices to make a casserole topped with marshmallows.
- Canadians use bread crumbs or rice for stuffing and in the U.S. stuffing is made with cornbread base in Southern states, oysters are used in the Eastern states and the Northern states use rice like Canadians.
- Canadians traditionally serve wheat-based rolls of bread with Thanksgiving dinner, while Americans tend to serve corn bread rolls, muffins or sliced loaves.
The traditional Thanksgiving meal is dinner on Thursday in the U.S. whereas in Canada the feast could be held either on Sunday or Monday.Shopping
In America the day after Thanksgiving is characterized by heavy shopping, encouraged by several enticing deals and discounts offered by retailers. Stores typically open early on Friday morning and people line up at night to be the first ones through the door when stores open so that they get the choicest "doorbuster" deals. The day is called "Black Friday" because traditionally that is the day when retail stores go from red to black (turn a profit) for the year. The Monday after Thanksgiving is called "Cyber Monday" because of the heavy online shopping people do on that day.Parades and Football
Thanksgiving in the United States is characterized by large parades, the Macy's Paradebeing most well known. Parades in Canada are smaller and at a local level. The Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest parade serves as Canada's only Thanksgiving Day parade and is broadcast nationwide. Canadians also enjoy football on Thanksgiving Day - the Canadian Football League holds a nationally televised doubleheader known as the "Thanksgiving Day Classic".
