Happy Maple Syrup Day!
Today is the day Americans are supposed to enjoy Maple Syrup as much as Canadians do, but make sure you’re getting the real thing. Reuters

It’s National Maple Syrup Day in America and while the sugary confection is normally the providence of our northerly neighbors (Canadians) this is the one day of the year we Americans too are supposed to enjoy the tree-sappy goodness.

But be warned. Don’t expect to get the good stuff at your local International House of Pancakes (aka IHOP). IBT Resident Canadian Zoe Mintz was on hand to explain to our Amanda Remling that the stuff restaurants are trying to pass off as maple syrup is commonly just dressed up corn syrup!

Don’t worry. She also gave us some tips to avoid these syrup imposters.

First, when you go to your local pancake house ask your waiter or waitress to please remove the offending corn syrup from the table and ask politely for them to bring out authentic maple syrup. Oftentimes they’ll have some in the back. According to Mintz, who is a native of Montreal, this sort of thing is common practice in Canada and can also be observed in the USA.

But, what if they simply have no authentic maple syrup?

Ok, so the pancake house you’ve now found yourself in only has corn syrup. Well, hopefully a born and bred Canadian is in your entourage and has taken the liberty of bringing their own maple syrup with them. (Again, Mintz assured us this was common practice in Canada). Inform your waiter or waitress that you’ll be using your personal syrup during the meal. If need be, clear it with the management.

And after you’ve enjoyed your stack’o’pancakes slathered in real maple goodness it’s time for a drink. And why not keep the syrup coming? This year Mintz said she was giving out bottles of Sortliege, a brand of Canadian whiskey infused with pure maple syrup. According to the brand’s website it is Canada’s bestselling Maple Spirit (implying there are more than one), so with the holiday’s coming up you may want to keep this in mind if you’ve got any Canadians in your life.

We hope you found this advice helpful and that you thoroughly enjoy National Maple Syrup Day 2013.

Canada