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Maply Syrup Season in Montreal - The Basics

By Evelyn Reid, About.com

Philippe Henri / Getty Images
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)

Next: Seven Sugar Shack Picks Within One Hour of Montreal

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