History of Maple Syrup

There is no historical record of who discovered how to make syrup and sugar from the sap of the maple tree. Still, maple syrup was an essential part of the Native American culture in the Great Lakes and New England area. A Chippewa and Ottawa legend states a god named NenawBozhoo cast a spell on maple trees, to only create sap after he saw his people becoming lazy after drinking pure maple syrup. One story credits the wife of the Iroquois Indian Chief Woksis was the first maple syrup maker.

In 1663, Robert Boyle, a European chemist, relayed stories of the sap of the maple trees, stating, “there is some parts of New England a kind of tree, whose juices that weeps out of its incision… doth congeal into a sweet and saccharin substance…”

Before we can further discuss maple syrup, let’s learn about the maple trees, the climatic conditions that impact them, and how they produce the critical ingredient - sap.

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