According to the Quebec Federation of Maple Syrup Producers' figures from 2004, 72% of the world's maple syrup is produced right here, in the province of Quebec. And a sizeable chunk of Quebec's maple products are gobbled up right here, in Montreal. And to anyone who has ever tasted sweet maple sap in its many forms, can you honestly blame us?
Maple Taffy and Snow - The Urban Sugar Shack
Sugaring off is a cultural rite-of-passage in Montreal. A short-lived season that varies every year, somewhere from late February to early May, perhaps the best known activity is eating hot maple taffy off fresh snow. Hot-taffy-on-snow stands start appearing in town around early March near Mont-Royal Metro, the Jean-Talon Market and other select locations around the city. While they soothe urgent maple cravings, they also bring up the nostalgia for an authentic sugar shack or cabane à sucre experience.
A Traditional Sugar Shack Experience
Let's face it, the real sugaring off happens outside Montreal, in the 200 or so sugar shacks spread over the province, many of which are equipped -- to the delight of toddlers -- with a mini-farm too. There's plenty to do, depending on the sugar shack you choose, before stuffing up on the pièce de résistance, the all-you-can-eat maple drenched dinner.
For anyone new to Montreal and the very concept of offing sugar, here's a breakdown of what you can expect at your first sugar shack meal:
- pea soup
- baked beans in maple syrup
- tourtière (if you're lucky)
- country style sausages in maple syrup
- maple smoked ham
- "oreilles de crisse" ("crisse," a truly versatile curse word, translates here into either "damn ears" or "Christ's ears," but they're actually pork rinds)
- oven baked omelettes
- eggs cooked in maple syrup
- potatoes
- cretons
- sweet pickles
- pancakes
- sugar pie
- pouding chômeur (or "unemployed person's pudding," a deliciously simple cake baked with maple syrup or brown sugar)
