Table syrup

Table syrup
Alternative names	Pancake syrup, waffle syrup
Type	Syrup
Place of origin	United States
Ingredients generally used	Corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup or cane sugar, water, coloring, flavoring, and preservatives

Last updated December 24, 2023

Table syrup, also known as pancake syrup and waffle syrup, is an artificial syrup used as a topping on pancakes, waffles, and french toast, often as an alternative to maple syrup. It is made by combining corn syrup with a sweetening agent (usually cane sugar or high-fructose corn syrup), water, coloring, flavoring, and preservatives.

Naming

In the United States, table syrups can be sold under a name consisting of any word followed by the word syrup with the exception of maple, cane, and sorghum. Commonly used names are table syrup, pancake syrup, waffle syrup, and pancake and waffle syrup.^[1]

History

In the late 1800s as Americans moved into urban areas, they brought with them demand for the taste of the maple tree that they were accustomed to. To capitalize on this, table syrups were made to emulate the taste and look of maple syrup. This was achieved by adding decoctions of maple wood, hickory, or corn cobs, and by giving them a brown color mimicking that of maple syrup by boiling brown sugar.^[2] By the beginning of the 1900s, the amount of Vermont maple syrup being sold was ten times the actual production.^[3]

Frustration with these misleading products helped bring about the Pure Food and Drug Act, which set out to ban mislabelled foods.^[2] Following this, products like Mapleine and Log Cabin branded themselves as maple syrup alternatives that used science and research to produce a superior flavor.^[2]

After World War II, products backed by large corporations like Quaker Oats' Aunt Jemima and Unilever's Mrs. Butterworth's were introduced. These products only contained trace amounts of actual maple syrup.^[2]

Production

Table syrups are primary made from other syrups combined with water, coloring, flavoring, and preservatives. The syrups most often used to create table syrup are corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup.^[4] Despite serving as an alternative to maple syrup, modern table syrups often do not have any maple syrup content or other natural flavors.^[5]

Major brands of table syrup include Pearl Milling Company, formerly Aunt Jemima; Mrs. Butterworth's; and Log Cabin.^[6]

Usage

Table syrups are often used as a cheaper alternative to maple syrup, with, as of 2015, prices of table syrup, $2 per litre ($8 per US gallon), being 5-8 times lower than those of maple syrup, $11–$16 per litre ($40–$60 per US gallon).^[6]

In a 2015 survey by The Washington Post it was found that 70% of Americans prefer using artificial syrups on their pancakes compared to real maple syrup largely in part due to its cheaper price. Maple syrup production is also limited to the Northeastern United States, giving Americans outside of that region less exposure to maple syrup.^[6] Compared to the complex maple flavor of maple syrup, table syrups are said to be singularly sweet with little complexity and noticeable artificial flavors.^[4]

Related Research Articles

Maple syrup is a syrup made from the sap of maple trees. 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 sap, which is processed by heating to evaporate much of the water, leaving the concentrated syrup.

A sweetener is a substance added to food or drink to impart the flavor of sweetness, either because it contains a type of sugar, or because it contains a sweet-tasting sugar substitute. Various natural non-sugar sweeteners and artificial sweeteners are used to produced food and drink.

Corn syrup is a food syrup which is made from the starch of corn/maize and contains varying amounts of sugars: glucose, maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade. Corn syrup is used in foods to soften texture, add volume, prevent crystallization of sugar, and enhance flavor. Corn syrup is not the same as high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is manufactured from corn syrup by converting a large proportion of its glucose into fructose using the enzyme D-xylose isomerase, thus producing a sweeter substance.

The Coca-Cola Company's formula for Coca-Cola syrup, which bottlers combine with carbonated water to create the company's flagship cola soft drink, is a closely guarded trade secret. Company founder Asa Candler initiated the veil of secrecy that surrounds the formula in 1891 as a publicity, marketing, and intellectual property protection strategy. While several recipes, each purporting to be the authentic formula, have been published, the company maintains that the actual formula remains a secret, known only to a very few select employees.

In cooking, syrup is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars but showing little tendency to deposit crystals. In its concentrated form, its consistency is similar to that of molasses. The viscosity arises from the multiple hydrogen bonds between the dissolved sugar, which has many hydroxyl (OH) groups.

Fudge is a type of confection that is made by mixing sugar, butter and milk. It has its origins in the 19th century United States, and was popular in the women's colleges of the time. Fudge can come in a variety of flavorings depending on the region or country it was made; popular flavors include fruit, nut, chocolate and caramel. Fudge is often bought as a gift from a gift shop in tourist areas and attractions.

Shasta Beverages is an American soft drink manufacturer that markets a value-priced soft drink line with a wide variety of soda flavors, as well as a few drink mixers, under the brand name Shasta. The company name is derived from Mount Shasta in northern California and the associated Shasta Springs.

Birch syrup is a savory, mineral-tasting syrup made from birch sap, and produced in much the same way as maple syrup. However, it is seldom used for pancake or waffle syrup; more often it is used as an ingredient paired with pork or salmon dishes in sauces, glazes, and dressings, and as a flavoring in ice cream, beer, wine, and soft drinks.

Chocolate syrup is a sweet, chocolate-flavored condiment. It is often used as a topping or dessert sauce for various desserts, such as ice cream, or mixed with milk to make chocolate milk or blended with milk and ice cream to make a chocolate milkshake. Chocolate syrup is sold in a variety of consistencies, ranging from a thin liquid that can be drizzled from a bottle to a thick sauce that needs to be spooned onto the dessert item.

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), also known as glucose–fructose, isoglucose and glucose–fructose syrup, is a sweetener made from corn starch. As in the production of conventional corn syrup, the starch is broken down into glucose by enzymes. To make HFCS, the corn syrup is further processed by D-xylose isomerase to convert some of its glucose into fructose. HFCS was first marketed in the early 1970s by the Clinton Corn Processing Company, together with the Japanese Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, where the enzyme was discovered in 1965.

Mrs. Butterworth's is an American brand of table syrups and pancake mixes owned by Conagra Brands. The syrups come in distinctive bottles shaped as the character "Mrs. Butterworth", represented in the form of a matronly woman. The syrup was introduced in 1961. In 1999, the original glass bottles began to be replaced with plastic. In 2009, the character was given the first name "Joy" following a contest held by the company.

Agave syrup, also known as maguey syrup or agave nectar, is a sweetener commercially produced from several species of agave, including Agave tequilana and Agave salmiana. Blue-agave syrup contains 56% fructose as a sugar providing sweetening properties.

Eggo Cereal is a multigrain breakfast cereal introduced in 2006 and reintroduced in 2019. It is manufactured by WK Kellogg Co, a spin-out of Kellogg's. It resembles Eggo waffles, a brand of frozen waffles produced by Kellanova and shares much of the same branding.

Flavored syrups typically consist of a simple syrup, that is sugar, with naturally occurring or artificial (synthesized) flavorings also dissolved in them. A sugar substitute may also be used.

Maple liqueur refers to various alcoholic products made from maple syrup, primarily in the Northeast United States and Canada. It is most commonly made by mixing Canadian rye whiskey and Canadian maple syrup. Maple liqueur is considered an important cultural beverage in certain Canadian festivals.

Critics and competitors of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), notably the sugar industry, have for many years used various public relations campaigns to claim the sweetener causes certain health conditions, despite the lack of scientific evidence that HFCS differs nutritionally from sugar. The HFCS industry has tried to respond to these campaigns with their own efforts.

References

↑ "CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21". www.accessdata.fda.gov. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
1 2 3 4 Appelbaum, Yoni (2011-11-01). "Making the Grade: Why the Cheapest Maple Syrup Tastes Best". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
↑ Regier, C. C. (1933). "The Struggle for Federal Food and Drugs Legislation". Law and Contemporary Problems. 1 (1): 3–15. doi:10.2307/1189447. ISSN 0023-9186.
1 2 "Is Maple Syrup Good for You?". Consumer Reports. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
↑ Calvo, Trisha (25 March 2017). "5 Things You Need to Know About Maple Syrup". Consumer Reports. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
1 2 3 "Why Americans overwhelmingly prefer fake maple syrup". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286 . Retrieved 2023-04-07.

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[1] "CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21". www.accessdata.fda.gov. Retrieved 2023-04-07.

[:0-2] 1 2 3 4 Appelbaum, Yoni (2011-11-01). "Making the Grade: Why the Cheapest Maple Syrup Tastes Best". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-04-07.

[3] Regier, C. C. (1933). "The Struggle for Federal Food and Drugs Legislation". Law and Contemporary Problems. 1 (1): 3–15. doi:10.2307/1189447. ISSN 0023-9186.

[:1-4] 1 2 "Is Maple Syrup Good for You?". Consumer Reports. Retrieved 2023-04-07.

[consumer-5] Calvo, Trisha (25 March 2017). "5 Things You Need to Know About Maple Syrup". Consumer Reports. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.

[:2-6] 1 2 3 "Why Americans overwhelmingly prefer fake maple syrup". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286 . Retrieved 2023-04-07.

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