People tasting maple taffy at a sugar bush.

The collection of maple sap and the production of maple products has evolved from the early practices of First Nations communities, such as the Ojibwa and Iroquois. The bark of a maple tree is pierced, the sweet sap is collected, and then the excess water is boiled off leaving a syrup. The syrup can be used as a sweetener or cooking additive. Neighbouring First Nations communities most likely taught French colonists how to process maple sap. The maple industry has evolved technologically over the years, but its core process of tapping trees and collecting sap has remained basically the same. Today, Quebec provides a majority of the maple syrup products on the global market. Numerous sugar shacks new and old fuel the world’s desire for this tasty treat.