<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Cookbook: Maple syrup Media: Maple syrup </Td> </Tr> <P> Maple syrup is a syrup usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees, although it can also be made from other maple species . In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring . Maple trees are tapped by drilling holes into their trunks and collecting the exuded sap, which is processed by heating to evaporate much of the water, leaving the concentrated syrup . </P> <P> Maple syrup was first collected and used by the indigenous peoples of North America, and the practice was adopted by European settlers, who gradually refined production methods . Technological improvements in the 1970s further refined syrup processing . The Canadian province of Quebec is by far the largest producer, responsible for 70 percent of the world's output; Canadian exports of maple syrup in 2016 were C $487 million (about US $360 million), with Quebec accounting for some 90 percent of this total . Vermont is the largest producer in the United States, generating about six percent of the global supply . </P> <P> Maple syrup is graded according to the Canada, United States, or Vermont scales based on its density and translucency . Sucrose is the most prevalent sugar in maple syrup . In Canada, syrups must be made exclusively from maple sap to qualify as maple syrup and must also be at least 66 percent sugar . In the United States, a syrup must be made almost entirely from maple sap to be labelled as "maple", though states such as Vermont and New York have more restrictive definitions . </P>

Where does the majority of maple syrup come from