Maple syrup, made from maple-tree sap, is a classic pancake topping in North America.
Producers tap maple trees in late winter or early spring, when temperature changes help sap move through the trunk. The collected sap contains mostly water and only a small amount of sugar, so it is heated in an evaporator until much of the water boils away. This concentrates the sap into the thick, sweet syrup served at breakfast tables.
Indigenous peoples of northeastern North America developed maple-sap processing long before European settlement. European colonists learned the practice from Indigenous communities and gradually introduced tools such as drilled tap holes and improved evaporators. Today, sugar maple, red maple, and black maple are important commercial sources.
Maple syrup is often confused with pancake or table syrup. Many imitation products use corn syrup and flavoring rather than being made primarily from maple sap. Authentic maple syrup is also distinct from agave syrup, golden syrup, and corn syrup: those are different sweeteners with different plant sources and production methods.