Features of sugar from maple juice, cooking technology. Energy value and useful properties. Can everyone switch to exotic sweetness? Recipes and interesting facts about maple sugar.
Maple sugar is a product made from the sap of red, black or sugar maples. The plant is found in a limited area - in the United States and Canada, so the product is popular in these countries. The color of the sweetness is light or dark brown, the aroma is fruity, it is compared to the smell of melted honey caramel, fermented molasses or overripe apples and pears. The aftertaste is sweetness. The consumer is offered maple sugar in the form of sand or bars, which are then crushed on their own.
How is maple sugar made?
Tree sap is collected during sap flow, just like birch in Siberia. The trunk is notched at the level of human height, a gutter is installed, and a container is attached to it. The depth of the hole in the trunk should be no more than 4 cm in order to avoid the death of the tree. The feedstock is accumulated in sedimentation tanks, where it is cleaned and clarified when heated to 110-116 ° C.
Further, a syrup is made from the raw material by evaporation. The Indians left containers of juice in the sun or cooked over a fire in open cauldrons. Now the syrup is produced in special vacuum apparatus, heating the liquid with the help of steam supplied through a closed system of pipes. Then the syrup is poured into a centrifuge, where it is separated into a liquid part and crystalline dark sugar.
Such a product is produced in the form of bars, since there is a residual syrup content in it - the crystals quickly stick together. If further purification is required, the mixture is re-mixed with syrup, filtered and re-sent to the centrifuge. The resulting sugar is dried, clarified if necessary, and packaged.
One of the trade names for maple sugar is Agorn. Under this brand, it comes to Europe, in particular to the territory of Russia. But in the USA and Canada it is called "maple sugar" ("maple tsukor") or "acer sugar" ("aker tsukor"). "Aker" in English is "maple".
To make 4 lbs (1.814 kg) of maple sugar, you need 35-40 gallons (131.5-150 L) of juice or 1 gallon (3.75-4 L) of syrup.
Composition and calorie content of maple sugar
The nutritional value of the product is high; it is irrational to use it for weight loss. Despite the sweeter, almost sugary taste, more of it is required to sweeten dishes, since only 90% of sucrose is in the composition, and the rest is fructose and glucose.
The calorie content of maple sugar is 354 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Proteins - 0.1 g;
- Fat - 0.2 g;
- Carbohydrates - 90.9 g;
- Water - 8 g;
- Ash - 0.8 g.
Vitamins per 100 g:
- Vitamin B1, thiamine - 0.009 mg;
- Vitamin B2, riboflavin - 0.013 mg;
- Vitamin B4, choline - 2.1 mg;
- Vitamin B5, pantothenic acid - 0.048 mg;
- Vitamin B6, pyridoxine - 0.003 mg;
- Vitamin PP - 0.04 mg.
Macronutrients per 100 g:
- Potassium, K - 274 mg;
- Calcium, Ca - 90 mg;
- Magnesium, Mg - 19 mg;
- Sodium, Na - 11 mg;
- Phosphorus, P - 3 mg.
Microelements per 100 g:
- Iron, Fe - 1.61 mg;
- Manganese, Mn - 4.422 mg;
- Copper, Cu - 99 μg;
- Selenium, Se - 0.8 μg;
- Zinc, Zn - 6.06 mg.
Digestible carbohydrates are represented by mono- and disaccharides - 84.87 g per 100 g.
Fatty acids per 100 g:
- Omega-6 - 0.1 g;
- Palmitic - 0.036 g;
- Stearic - 0.004 g;
- Omega-9 - 0.064 g;
- Linoleic acid - 0.1 g.
The most useful product is considered to be sold in the form of bars. It includes the following acids:
- Benzoic - high antiseptic effect, inhibits the vital activity of fungi;
- Cinnamon - increases local immunity, stimulates the regeneration of the epithelium;
- Gallic - activates intestinal peristalsis and prevents the development of putrefactive processes in the stomach.
Maple sugar contains substances that are absent in the original raw material - juice. They are formed during the manufacturing process of the final product - when heated, boiled and evaporated. The most valuable is Quebecol, a phenolic compound named after Quebec, the province of Canada where it was isolated. The effect on the body is reminiscent of the medicine Tamoxifen, which is used to prevent and treat breast cancer.
A medicinal product causes a large number of side effects, in contrast to its natural counterpart. Quekebol has antioxidant properties, slows down the breakdown of carbohydrates in the intestine, and can be used to prevent malignancy of the intestinal mucosa at the cellular level.
Benefits of Maple Sugar
The most important effect of sweetness is to replenish energy reserves. With its help, you can quickly recover from exhausting physical exertion, nervous breakdowns or stress.
Maple Sugar Benefits:
- Normalizes the conduction of nerve impulses, stops depression, restores healthy sleep.
- Prevents the production of atypical cells by the body.
- It has an antioxidant effect.
- Normalizes the work of the pancreas, accelerates the production of insulin.
- Strengthens potency in men, increases libido. True, American doctors believe that it is more expedient to use syrup rather than maple sugar to improve the male reproductive system.
- It accelerates the work of the digestive system, prolongs the life of liver cells - hepatocytes.
- Stops degenerative changes in the body.
- Stimulates the production of red blood cells, red blood cells, helps to quickly cope with anemia.
- Creates favorable conditions for the existence of beneficial microorganisms in the small intestine.
Maple sugar is invaluable in home cosmetology. Masks with this product gently cleanse the surface of the epithelium from keratinized particles, have a nourishing effect and prevent the development of infectious dermatological diseases, increasing local immunity.
If you have a choice, you must give preference to this type of sweetener. When eating sugar beet, the body gets empty calories, and maple sugar replenishes the body with useful substances.
Contraindications and harm of maple sugar
Sweetness will have to be abandoned in case of diabetes mellitus and individual intolerance to the raw material - maple juice. There are no other restrictions for changing the diet - switching from sucrose from sugar beet to one made from vegetable juice - there are no other restrictions.
Maple sugar can only cause harm if abused in persons suffering from obesity and unstable pancreas.
It is advisable to include a new product in the children's diet with caution. Indian children are accustomed to “sweet ice” from the first months of life, while for European children it is exotic.
Overeating should be avoided by adults as well. For men, the permissible norm is 150 kcal per day, that is, 9-10 tsp, for women - 100-120 kcal, which is 6-8 tsp.
Maple Sugar Recipes
This product is an equivalent replacement for cane sugar, it is added in the same amount. In the USA and Canada, “sweet ice” is preferred in the manufacture of baby food, dairy products and ice cream.
Maple Sugar Recipes:
- Pear sweet salad … 150 g of arugula leaves are washed with cold running water and beautifully laid out on plates. 2 large conference pears and the same amount of Chinese hard yellow pears are peeled, cut lengthwise into 4 pieces and cored. To prevent the fruit from darkening, they are sprinkled with lemon juice. Heat 150 ml of dry white wine in a frying pan, add 1 tsp. maple sugar and wait for it to dissolve. When the wine is half evaporated, conference pears are dipped into it. On arugula leaves, darkened pieces of soft fruits are mixed with fresh Chinese pears and sheep's cheese, cut into thin strips, pepper and salt, seasoned with grape seed oil. Sprinkle with pine nuts before serving.
- Broccoli in fish sauce … Cabbage heads (2 pcs.) Are cut into inflorescences and fried one by one in sunflower oil, as in deep fat. During cooking, add some salt and add grated fresh ginger. After 3 minutes, add 1 tsp. maple sugar, pour in oyster or fish sauce and half a glass of chicken broth. Stew for 1-1.5 minutes. Serve hot.
- Ice cream … Whisk a glass of 33% heavy cream and 100 g of maple sugar in an ice cream maker. You can add vanilla powder. When the volume of the sweet mixture doubles, they are transferred to shape cups, a sushi stick is inserted in the middle of each. Freeze in the refrigerator. The chocolate is melted, the molds are dipped in hot water for a few seconds so that the ice cream comes out easily. Dip the sweet cylinders halfway into the chocolate and put them back in the refrigerator to freeze. After an hour, you can enjoy your homemade ice cream.
- Roast … Pork, 400 g, cut into portions and beat, as for steaks. Spread in a deep frying pan, add 2 finely chopped onions, 3 green garlic feathers and 2 bay leaves, sprinkle with 1 tbsp. l. maple sugar, black pepper and salt, soak in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Apples, 3-4 pcs., Cut like a pie, spread in a layer on the meat, pour soy sauce - 5 tbsp. l. Cover with foil on top. They are baked in the oven at a temperature of 220 ° C until tender, until the pink juice no longer flows out of the meat. Al dente pork is not cooked.
- Soup stew … Turkey fillet, 400 g, fried in refined sunflower oil for 6-8 minutes, stirring constantly. Take out the meat, and fry 2 onions in a frying pan, bring to a golden color, pour tomatoes into cubes. Without removing from the heat, add spices and seasonings: 0, 5 tbsp. l. oregano, 1 tsp tomato paste with chili, 1 tbsp. l. lecho with tomato, 2 tbsp. l. maple sugar. Mix everything, lay out the turkey, pour 500 ml of pre-cooked turkey or chicken broth. Cook for 20-25 minutes. Before serving, add cumin and herbs to each plate to taste.
- Sweet salmon … First mix the marinade. A little grated ginger and enough maple sugar are added to the soy sauce so that the salty taste disappears completely. If syrup is used, then it is taken as much as the sauce. Fish fillets are soaked for 20-25 minutes, spread on the grill and fried on both sides for 6-8 minutes, constantly turning over and smearing with marinade. Sprinkle with soy sauce before serving.
Interesting facts about maple sugar
This product was first described by the conquistadors in the 1760s, who conquered America. They admired the sweetness that can be extracted from trees. At the same time, the whites settling in the country began to open the first sugar factories.
But long before the 15th century, the "discovery of America", the indigenous population learned to extract sweet juice and make syrup and sugar from it. The Iroquois believed that God sent the sweet product. They worshiped sugar maples. In the spring, at the end of March, the whole village gathered around the tall trees. They lit a sacred fire, brought gratitude to the Creator, and only then began to collect the juice. The leader's teepee was always surrounded by sugar maples.
The Mohicans, representatives of a large Indian tribe, established a connection between melting snow and sap flow. In legends that have been passed down from generation to generation, it was said that the sweet transparent syrup was the oil that the heavenly hunters received after they dealt with the Great Sky Bear.
Native American tribes used this method to make maple sugar. The sweet juice was left in the sun to thicken. If the days were cloudy, then the pots were buried in hot ash. When the excess liquid was already evaporated, the thick syrup was cooled and left overnight in the cold. By morning it froze and turned into candy. The name "sweet ice" has survived to this day. Now this is the name for all ice cream, whether it contains maple sugar or not.
Production declined sharply in the 18th century. They mastered trade routes, along which they began to import cheaper raw materials - beets and reeds. New sugar has almost completely replaced the usual one. But maple syrup, which is widely used in national cuisine recipes, has not lost its popularity. In 1989, this product increased Canada's budget by $ 100 million.
The list of products made from maple sap, sugar and syrup is not limited. It is used to make oil and vinegar.
What maple sugar looks like - watch the video:
You can buy maple sugar in countries where it is produced, in the United States or Canada. It is brought to Europe only if ordered in advance. Can be purchased privately in the online store. The country of origin must be indicated on the label of the original product and a red maple leaf must be drawn - the trademark. If there is no marking, the purchase should be abandoned - an unscrupulous seller probably offers a surrogate. The best souvenir you can bring from Canada is the sugar maple leaf.
