Maple syrup shows up in unusual ways at local bars, restaurants: Jasmine Mangalaseril

It's Maple Weekend here in Ontario. Across the province, dozens of maple syrup producers are welcoming visitors interested in exploring sugar bushes and learning how maple sap transforms into that iconic smoky, sweet, sticky syrup.

Locally, Elmira will be celebrating it's 60th Maple Syrup Festival — they were one of the first towns in Ontario to ever host one. Initial turnout was so good, other cities started hosting their own. In 2015, the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers' Association officially launched Maple Weekend and it has been steadily growing every year.

For thousands of years First Nations set up temporary camps in what's now called The Maple Belt to harvest and process sap. The maple sap, as well as syrups and sugars they made were valued both as food and medicines. It was also an opportunity to celebrate and give thanks, and for some Anishinaabe people, the Sugar Moon marked the start of the New Year.

From Golden to Very Dark, there's a bottle for every palate

Early season sap is light and delicate, earning the syrup a "Golden" grade.  As the season progresses, the sap's flavour changes to be processed into rich Amber, robust Dark, and very strong Very Dark.

On average, maple sap contains about two per cent sugar. To make one litre of syrup, 40 litres need to be boiled down. Just like wine and coffee, maple syrup has complex flavour notes.

While it's a familiar accompaniment to breakfast foods, used in baking, and a main ingredient in glazes and sauces for meats, some downtown Kitchener spots use maple syrup in deliciously different ways.

Not just for pancakes anymore

At Mom's Bread and Pie Co. on King Street maple syrup gives the chocolate chip cookies chewiness and a subtle smokiness.

And when owner Kristie Bannon transformed her tahini cauliflower side dish into a vegan pie, she turned to maple syrup to temper its tartness.

"It's got a lot of tang to it. I thought maple syrup would be a perfect thing to kind of balance it out and mellow it out and sweeten it up a little bit," says Bannon.

Maple syrup does more than temper the pie's sharpness. It complements the ingredients' flavours: the roasted vegetables' caramelization, paprika's smokiness, the spices earthiness, and tahini's savouriness.

Cocktails at Grand Trunk and Surf

With barrels of maple syrup coming in from a local producer, it's one of the main sweeteners used in sober and alcoholic cocktails at Grand Trunk Saloon and Grand Surf Lounge.

"Maple is huge because it has such a nostalgic flavour for most of us. Its sweet and earthy undertones enhance the complexity of cocktails more than a simple syrup," said Matt Hewson, Grand Trunk and Grand Surf's Beverage Director and Bar Manager.

Hewson uses maple syrup to complement darker spirits like whiskeys, rums, even aged tequilas, and to contrast tart, citrusy flavours. He also finds it works well with flavours like clove and rosemary.

Rolling with maple syrup

Years ago, when a family member developed diabetes, Humble Lotus co-owner My Nguyen started adapting traditional Vietnamese recipes to use maple syrup. Today, it's a staple ingredient at the restaurant, where it's used more than soy sauce.

"I come from a background of balancing food. We grew up eating things that are sweet, salty, sour, and spicy. They all go together, but maple takes off the salty edge that soy and fish sauce are known to have," says Nguyen.

It lends rich, smoky, sweetness to the lemongrass grilled chicken that's used in their Emperor Roll. It also sweetens sauces, including their Koko Loco Sauce (made with coconut milk, pineapple, and Scotch bonnets) and their miso-maple dressing.

Start by experimenting

Home cooks looking for different ways to use maple syrup can start by adjusting familiar recipes.

You can usually use an equal amount of maple syrup to honey or corn syrup. But, if you're substituting maple syrup for white sugar when baking, use 190 ml of maple syrup, decrease other liquids by three tablespoons (45 ml), and add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda for every 250 ml of white sugar (200 g).