Across the US, maple syrup pretty much comes as a standard side with any order of pancakes, waffles, or French toast. Other toppings may be available but aren’t nearly as popular, particularly when you’re talking about syrups in particular.
What made maple so overwhelmingly favored? Why not birch, or “golden,” or molasses-cinnamon, or some variety of fruit? I’m not only talking about genuine maple syrup, of course —most “pancake syrup” is not made from real maple, but is nevertheless flavored like it.
There is a true maple syrup. A natural, historical syrup that existed way before any of the artificial flavors came to be. And maple syrup (the real stuff) is tasty, tasty tasty. And most of the other competition (I’m thinking IHOPish stuff) like blueberry, boysenberry and the like just tastes like ass.
The real stuff is great, and the fake stuff with the same flavor can be ok.
Birch syrup is more expensive than maple, due to the more expensive process. It is more common in the northeast of the country.
Golden syrup is more neutral tasting, so it doesn’t add as much, and isn’t very common to find.
Berry syrups are pretty popular.
Because there was a time real maple syrup was the default syrup on pancakes. Mrs. Butterworth and friends are cheaper imitations for those who can’t afford the real thing.
I wonder if corn syrup is more easily disguised as maple syrup than it is as other historically popular flavors? I mean, cinnamon syrup sounds amazing, but that’s weird enough that it might not sell well.
The one time I tried real maple syrup, I found it to be watery and didn’t stick to pancakes but just made them soggy. If that was the way it is supposed to be, I prefer the fake stuff. I also love IHOP’s (former name of IHOB’s for you millenials) butter pecan syrup. Delicious!
I grew up on Mrs Butterworth, Log Cabin and the other artificial syrups. And then when I was twentysomething, living on my own and with my own disposable income, I bought a container of real maple syrup from the supermarket. I was surprised to find I was disappointed. Perhaps because my tastes were attuned to the fake stuff.
There are essentially two kinds of breakfast syrup: maple syrup and flavored corn syrup. Asking why most people prefer maple syrup to flavored corn syrup is like asking why most people prefer a real home-cooked breakfast to a McDonald’s takeout breakfast.
That was my first experience with real maple syrup as well. Now I don’t use either the real or fake stuff on most breakfast fare at all. There are better option out there most of the time. I do use some of the fale stuff for some of my baking though. Home made maple iced doughnuts anyone?
If you want to talk about other natural products, honey, molasses, and sweet sorghum have historically also been popular in the US. I suspect that LHoD is right and that the present status of maple syrup is a product of marketing.
I grew up on Log Cabin (my grandmother served it out of the metal cabin-shaped can), but saw The Real Deal at a farmer’s market. And I loved it. I’ve decided it’s healthier than “store-bought” because I use it sparingly, and so ingest a lot less sugar (and high-fructose corn syrup) than if I slather a waffle in the fake stuff in order to get as much flavor as I can with a tablespoon of Actual Maple Syrup.
Come to think of it, it’s like eating a tiny square of Real Chocolate* and getting more satiation (and fewer calories) than I would from stuffing a whole Hershey bar in my craw.
*Current favorite: [Seriously Dark Chocolate with Hawaiian Sea Salt](HONDURAS, WAMPUSIRPI - 70% DARK + HAWAIIAN RED SALT BAR) made by my wife’s friend William…
I don’t care for the taste of maple whether real or synthetic. I’ll take marmalade or lemon curd on my pancakes if we must have them. I don’t like pancakes especially much, either.
Mmm, marmalade on pancakes. Thin ones, almost like crêpes, spread with Quince and Apple’s orange/lemon marmalade. But after this thread, I’ll try these with a dash of real maple syrup as well.
The old rating system was A, B, C, with A being the most refined and sought after. But A is refined so much because they were trying to remove the maple flavor and make it more like cane sugar. Get B or even C if you want more flavor. Actually, now B and C are both grade A with descriptive words; A/B/C was easier.
This is kind of the crux of the matter to me. Real maple syrup is (to me) a lot sweeter tasting than corn-based syrups, hence you use less even though it costs more. And man, what a difference. Instead of slathering waffles or pancakes in the stuff, you can just drizzle maple syrup on and get similar (but IMO, very much improved) results.
That being said, I am something of a softie for fruit syrups. I have loved boysenberry syrup on pancakes at places like IHOP (or IHOairbnb, or whatever it is now) since I was a child.
But being in a place like that is the only place I would want that. Frankly, the pancakes are shitty and so should the syrup be, I guess.
At home? NEVER. Only the best $6.00 per ounce maple syrup on the Kroger brand waffles I feed to MY snowflakes, thankyouverymuch.