When I was pregnant with my first child my body was taken over by weird cravings that turned me into a food-obsessed nightmare.
I was a vegetarian craving greasy burgers with triple O sauce, a vegan who stalked ice cream parlors and I was the weirdo in the produce aisle smelling grapefruits and green apples because it seemed to quell my nausea.
However, my favourite craving, which seemed to stick with me through two more pregnancies and even to this day, is my hankering for real maple syrup. There is nothing like a big scoop of maple walnut ice cream, crispy maple cookies or buckwheat pancakes with butter and lots of ooey, gooey maple syrup.
Native Americans were the first to discover "sinzibuckwud," the Algonquin word for maple syrup, meaning literally "drawn from wood." They were the first to recognize the sap as a source of energy and nutrition. Using their tomahawks to make V-shaped incisions in the trees, they would insert reeds or concave pieces of bark to run the sap into buckets made from birch bark. It was drunk as a sweet drink or used in cooking. It is possible that maple-cured bacon began with this process.The Natives used clay pots to boil maple sap over simple fires protected only by a roof of tree branches. This was the first version of the sugar shack. Over the years, this evolved to the point where the sugar shack is not only a place where maple syrup is produced, but also a gathering place where a traditional meal can be enjoyed.
The first white settlers and fur traders introduced wooden buckets to the process, as well as iron and copper kettles. In the early days of colonization, it was the Natives who showed French settlers how to tap the trunk of a tree at the outset of spring, harvest the sap and boil it to evaporate some of the water. This custom quickly became an integral part of colony life and during the 17th and 18th centuries, syrup was a major source of high quality pure sugar. Maple Sugar production was especially important due to the fact that other types of sugar were hard to find and expensive. It was as common on the table as salt is today
Sweet for your health, real maple syrup is an excellent source of manganese and zinc. Manganese is important for energy production and an antioxidant. Zinc is important for your immune system and for a healthy heart. Many types of immune cells appear to depend upon zinc for optimal function, particularly in children. Manganese and zinc also play a part in men's health supporting prostate health and over all reproductive health. Maple syrup also contains healthy amounts of calcium and other trace minerals. Choose dark or medium syrup to gain the most benefits. The lighter the syrup the more processing has occurred meaning less nutrients.
Maple-Glazed Salmon
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons apple juice
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons country-style Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder
4 (6 ounce) wild salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)
Cooking spray
Directions:
Preheat broiler
Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add the salmon to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 15 minutes.
Remove the salmon from the bag, reserving the marinade. Place the salmon fillets, skin side down, on a broiler rack coated with cooking spray. Broil for 12 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, and baste the salmon occasionally with the reserved marinade. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet).
