The great Canadian syrup heist episode of The Casual Criminalist is still one of my favourites and one of the most Canadian stories I've ever had the pleasure of hearing
I live in Chaudiere-Appalaches, the heart of maple syrup production within Québec and Maple syrup is very common here. We all know some local producer who sells syrup and derived products (that is allowed by the Federation, its only bulk sales that are controlled by the Federation). One little thing : you mentioned that the syrup get darker as the weather gets colder, but it is the opposite. Maple syrup is made in the spring so the weather gets warmer during the season. My dad was approached for a business deal by one of the guy who was heavily implicated in the maple syrup heist. He didn't feel the guy and he refused to work with him. We learned later that he had done jail time because of the syrup heist. Good instinct from my dad!
I used to think maple syrup was Aunt Gemima and Log Cabin. Then the Canadian ambassador came to our school and let us have shots of real Grade A maple syrup and I was shocked at how much better it was. I can never go back to the fake stuff now.
As a Canadian; Since childhood I've always referred to Aunt Jemima Syrup, as Aunt Jamima Bullshit. There is no substitute. None shall be consumed (as a substitute).
As an American, I have to stand with my Canadian brothers on the subject of maple syrup. The "maple-flavored" stuff is horrible, I've used only genuine maple syrup since the 1970's. I just had some this morning over sourdough waffles, yum! It's expensive and worth it.
It's honestly not that expensive and when you consider how you can use less than the fake stuff for the same effect it's honestly cheaper than the fake stuff.
America literally has Vermont maple syrup. It’s the same quality by equivalent grade system. I don’t get why Americans are so dense about the great stuff Vermont is producing. I guess branding goes far.
Keep in mind that maple syrup isn't just for pancakes. It's an important ingredient and flavorant for many products internationally. Maple syrup is a very important resource and Canada is the number one producer of maple syrup in the world.
Correction: the syrup gets darker later in the season as the weather gets warmer. The color is actually from different healthy bacteria and microbes that form and multiply as the weather gets warmer, and it is left in the syrup giving it its amber color and maple flavor. If you filtered maple syrup like you do with corn syrup, the color and unique flavor would disappear. Cornell did a study on it a number of years ago
Around the holidays only, they make these Maple shaped, maple sugar, well maple leaves. They've been a once a year treat since I was a kid and they might be the best thing on this earth.
I can't stand maple syrup unless its B grade, but I loved those maple leave sweets. They aren't meant to be year round, its so much better when it remains a special once a year treat. I send them to my friend in the UK who love maple but can't afford it over there, it cost about $24 to send a 10 oz bottle over to them, but since they love it so much, Ill do it every year
Syrup season is almost festive, shaking off the long winter. Almost every Canadian school kid from Ontario east to the Atlantic has eaten syrup poured on snow and turned into taffy. Then there are hotdogs boiled in sap for a bush lunch, whiskey and sap when the sun goes down. Best time of year!
The butter tarts is as quintessentially Canadian as Maple Syrup and making Butter Tarts with Maple Syrup (replacing brown sugar) elevates this National desert to Hockey like levels of Canadian.
As an Aussie, I can assure you that we know the difference between "Golden Syrup", "Maple flavoured syrup" and "Maple Syrup" ... my family only buys genuine maple syrup from Canada. We consume a 250ml bottle every fortnight at a cost of around $9 (or $36 per litre). $0.02
Man I feel bad for you, this year's supply (about 4.5 liters) was "free" to me as I traded some stuff with my neighbour. But normally a gallon of syrup is about $55-60 CAD depending on the seller.
$9 (I'm assuming Australian dollars, which is more or less on par with Canadian dollars) is not bad actually. In Canada, a 540ml can runs anywhere from $8-$14 (sometimes higher) depending on where you buy it.
Syrup is harvested early in the spring so it gets darker as it gets warmer , not colder. Basically the trees send the sap up in anticipation for growing leaves and if it's too cold it comes back down, it's during this transit that it flows and is collected. It basically stops when it gets too warm as it just stays up in the branches to fuel leaf growth. How quickly that transition from freezing to leaf growing happens is what determines the length of the syrup season. Basically you got it all backwards...
maple Butter is one of the greatest thing in the world. For those who have not had the pleasure it is basically maple syrup whip to a butter like texture, and it is great on anything.
As a Québecer, I should point out that most Qébecers do not buy their maple syrup at the grocery. The majority either know or they know someone who knows a small scale private producer.
As a Quebecers myself too, most people buy their syrup at the grocery. The population of Quebec is 9 millions and more than half take syrup... Logically talking, not everyone know a local producer. It just common sense.
I lived in Quebec for many years, and everybody bought their maple syrup from the grocery. (Except once per year when we would attend a "sugaring-off" at a maple farm, or maybe from a farmer's market)
As someone named Avery, Tabasco sauce's origin is a place of pride to a decree. Tabasco, while named after a Mexican state because it uses Tabasco peppers from said state, is not made in Mexico but rather at a place called Avery Island in Louisiana. It says Avery Island on every bottle! Avery Island is actually a salt dome, something that's formed when salt intrudes into overlying rocks due to diapirism (when lighter materials force their way up through denser ones).
Yup. I heard the guy that started Tabasco is the one that brought nutrias in Louisiana. For their pelt. A hurricane stroke, and most 'evaded' their cage. Thanks to that SOB, nutrias are hurting Louisiana land now.
The plants are germinated in the States. But they are shipped to various countries to grow. Then the peppers are shipped back to the states for processing and bottling. I go through half a liter of Maple syrup every month. I love it with hot buttered toast at breakfast.
And although the Bank of Canada has always vehemently denied it, quite a good portion of the annual Canadian maple syrup production also goes into the printing process for the Canadian $100 dollar bank notes and their distinct maple syrup aroma!
The Féderation also provides quality assessment kits to producers. The kits include charts as well as vials with maple syrup samples of different grades, for visual and physical comparison. There are 5 grades, from Clair (clear) to Foncé (dark). My favourite is Ambré (amber) or grade 2.
I asked my wife if she was aware that Canada has a syrup reserve. Her response was of course she’s aware, then she asked if it had been robbed again. Don’t mess with our maple syrup.
Sure, it's good on pancakes, but try it on ham or bacon! I put it in my coffee too! So, we all know that sugar season starts when the winter days days begin to lengthen and warm: you need daytime temperatures above freezing, and nighttime temps below freezing to collect the sap, but when do you stop collecting it? When I inquired I was told ( with a big smile by everyone I asked ) that one stops tapping when the new maple leaves are as large as a mouse's ear.
What a fascinating video! Simon covers everything as per usual. To any any non-Canadian viewers, I can assure you I drown my pancakes+bacon in our holy syrup...
The illegal maple syrup market was actually a sub plot in an episode of Elementary (S5E13) ostensibly centered around the smuggling of thousands of gallons of maple syrup into the US which resulted in the murder of a young man who was a security guard at the point of entry for the syrup. Actually a very good episode.
Shepherd, Michigan has a maple syrup festival every year where the town puts a tap in the tree(s) of the homeowners and then collects it. Fun weekend with vendors, etc.
The reason for all those stocks is simple: very bad years of production was bringing some maple syrup producers to bankruptcy and too good years brought prices too low to make money out of its hard work. Each year is a challenge and the first thing we ask to our friends who produce each year is if it is a good year or not. There is a very understandable need to have a "community body" that buys from the producers at regulated prices: first make sure some years of overproduction do not bring prices too much down and second, allow producers to recover from past year's production when the Federation releases these older stocks (there is a mechanism for that) when there are years with lower production than demand requests.
The Maple Syrup heist is my absolute favorite episode of Casual Criminalist! It really was refreshing after all that murder and I'm fairly certain Simon agrees with me!
The maple reserve is not ridiculous though. The goal is to deal with uneven seasons and give a chance to smaller producers to not be kicked out of the market on hood years because big producers can price them out. Before the reserve went “live”, you vould see the price of maple syrup cut by half or double in price each year… with the reserve, producers can pile up surplus then “use” it on bad years.
Nailed our French (passion for style) and British (need for carbohydrates) history. The oft unspoken foundation for internationally confusing Canadian politics.
Well crafted documentary I have to say, as a Quebecer. I can’t even fathom having crepes/pancakes with anything else than maple syrup (aka liquid gold in some neighborhoods). Kudos to Simon acing this one.
As a good Canadian boy, I have made syrup with my brother in the last few years. Thanks for the interesting episode. Also, as good Canadians who have had plenty of maple syrup in our day, my son and I noticed that the liquid being poured on pancakes at the beginning of the episode was not maple syrup. It was too thick, and most likely a kind of fake syrup.
It must be more part of the culture out east. I've got a bottle in the fridge that's two years old and I bet I've only used three tablespoons. It should be tossed but at this point it's more of a historical monument in my fridge than a condiment. In banff we sell it in these stupid hokey 250ml bottles shaped like a maple leaf for $30 odd bucks and the yanks/brits/aussies buy it up like crack.
@@Flarexxxx You got it ass-backwards, guy. The Robertson screw is a Canadian invention. The joke is that Americans wouldn't be able to open the barrels because they don't have Robertson screwdrivers
Maple Syrup, I put that stuff in everything. Aside from the usual use on pancakes it works in any kind of cooking. A shot of syrup in or on, stew, chili, bacon, pasta, salmon, some soups, ice cream, baking of course, BBQ, steamed vegetables, toast, chili pepper dishes, anything really. When using only a small amount in savoury dishes it does not contribute a Maple flavour but a earthy complexity that many people will not be able to identify. If you live somewhere that gets snow, you've got to try pouring some on snow and pick it up like you do spaghetti on a fork, then eat it like a popsicle. Don't do this where to Huskies go of course.
At 7:40 the call half a littre per person per year, I can confidently tell you thats this is a rookie number.
2 года назад+2
Half a liter is roughly one can and you need more than that just for the Holiday season. At home we buy at least 7-8 can a year from a friend. Now we produce our own syrup (about 4 to 5 gallon a year).
That was my question. On what they calculate that number? How many can they sell every year divided by 38,25 millions (Number of Canadians in 2021)? Do they count all the maple syrup made by "backyard" producers (those who like me, produce just enough for family and friends) ? Or is it that new Canadians did not yet developed that sweet maple tooth?
I helped set up the lines and taps for maple syrup while I was on a farm in WV. It was awful work. Then after months we barely got any. 10,000 gallon tank was maybe a fifth full of sap.
Funny enough, I am a 60 year old Canadian. Ingrew up in western Canada and our family never had Maple Syrup. It was not until the age of 57 when I moved to Nova Scotia where I first tasted Maple Syrup. I only use syrup from Nova Scotia. Um, uh, flapjacks be a US term I believe. We have pancakes
Maple Syrup is widely produced south of the boarder too.Northern NY and Vermont have many large and small producers, and production is not controlled. I'm sure there are many other places, but that is an area I'm familiar with. Talking to one producer he keep referring to "table" syrup as pole syrup. I had to ask what is pole syrup and was told that's the pancake or common syrup sold in stores. He wasn't sure where it came from but assumed it might be what one would get if he inadvertently taped a utility pole.
Thanks for this very interesting info i never knew. As a Canadian I can confirm i eat maple syrup daily in our house we basically use maple syrup in place of sugar. For example in our coffee and I put it on my oatmeal every day I feel lost without it .
Given how valuable it is economically this is still hilarious but slightly more serious. Props to Simon for not bursting out into laughter but stifling it in the most sarcastic script possible
I live in Southern Ontario, each region of the province prides itself on producing its own quality syrup (even some of the cities). Another thing that does happen is 'Rogue Loggers' coming in and chopping down all the trees - including the maple trees - in a tree lot. The best sap producing maple trees are usually in Old Growth forests, which also just happen to have the biggest trees; seen as ripe for 'harvesting'.
Do you Ontarians drink a lot of your own wine? Out in BC here we drink most of our own wine and despite myself hearing that Ontario is big for wine production, the selection here is terrible.
1:55 - Chapter 1 - Cornering the maple market 4:00 - Chapter 2 - The maple bunker 6:05 - Chapter 3 - The syrup must flow 9:05 - Chapter 4 - Great maple syrup heist
There's a correlation between how cold winters are and how industrious the people who live there are. This applies outside of Canada too, but in Canada, at least when I was a kid, it was common to have family come together after the harvest season, and start planning for winter consumption. You learn how to preserve food, and store it for medium term utility. Sadly this is a skill being lost in our culture in the past couple of decades.
I'm a maple syrup producer from Québec. From what I know, most of the Fédération (now PPAQ) revenues come from the fee they charge us to inspect and classify the syrup. This fee is not a percentage but it is a fixed amount of about 0.14$/pound and a pound is worth around 2.50$-3.00$ on average. It turns out to about 5% There is not other fees on our side. What you didn't speak about in the video is the payment system to the producers. We are paid as a % of sales for the production of each year. If we have a very good season and the reserve is full, we will get around 70-80% of our payment within a year and the remaining may take 3-4 years to be paid to us. We are the ones supporting that strategic reserve with that evergoing account receivable. At any given time, they owe me almost a full year of production. All and all, I will qualify this as a necessary evil that helps stabilize the revenues for the producers and the price the consumers pays.
I think I suggested this video idea a while ago. That said, as a west coast Canadian I have to be very clear that although every Canadian does feel an affinity to maple syrup, on average they literally dont consume as much as Simon suggests, across the entire country. That average (500ml's per year) would include commercial and industrial food uses as well, which will bring the personal consumption number down significantly. Saying that maple syrup is inherent to the Canadian national identity, is like saying that Bangers and Mash is uniquely analogous to the British national identity.... it isnt, and neither is Canadian maple syrup. At most its a part of of it ... a small part.
I'm from the Okanagan and I thought the 500ml/yr estimate was pretty conservative, or at least in my social circle lol. On average I think my family goes through about 2 bottles every 2 months and I'd say for most of my friends it's about the same. Heck, when we go on our annual fishing trip we go through at least an entire bottle in a week (along with more than a few cases of beer haha). Though I would say that when I was in Montreal for uni, I noticed they have a much closer emotional relationship to it there.
Who consumes the factory made products with syrup as an ingredient? Canadian people of course. It is not clear from the figure given in the video whether that is only for end user sale or all syrup usage, but if you take all domestic usage over the Canadian population, it gives you the average per capita consumption of all syrup in what form soever. Actually I would expect that the number includes all usage, because that's how food statistics are generally given. Besides, 500ml is not that much. In Germany for example, honey is pretty popular and the average consumption is around 1kg per capita (including food production, but the majority is probably directly bought by end users), a bit more than half a kilogrammof syrup per Canadian seems a pretty normal and relatable figure.
Lots of Americans I know think maple syrup is cheat in Canada, but it depends where you are. Since it's extracted and produced in Quebec, which is in eastern Canada, any of the provinces in western Canada (such as Alberta or British Columbia) have to pay a steep price for maple syrup. I have to imagine it's somewhat similar in the US when it comes to states that are further away from Vermont.
I didn't even taste the stuff until later in life. Aunt jamima on pancakes and waffles my whole childhood. Once you try the real McCoy there's no going back. It' like a fine single malt scotch vs a bottle of jack.
Authentic maple syrup is a world away from imitation. If you haven't once, it will be almost impossible to ever go back. Kind of like another famous saying I've heard of before......
I remember eating a Mountie figure made from maple sugar when I was 5 years old, in 1960. To this day I cannot handle highly sweetened food. (We used to go to Canada a lot to fish, back in the day.)
I can’t stand maple syrup for the same reason, I’d visit my family in Quebec annually as a child, and they always filled us up with hard and soft maple candies, maple pastries, hot maple syrup on snow, maple spreads on toast, etc. It was sickening.
Fun fact. The maple syrup reserve is one of the few industries authorized to have armed security in Canada. Putting in up there with Cash, Jewelery, and tobacco/alcohol.
There is a book called 'Live Free or Die' which has as a major plot point that maple syrup become a strategic commodity and an interstellar war is fought over it.
2 года назад+3
Simons: Anyone with plans to tap their usual 200 000 barrels of precious maple syrup would be met with the most Canadian of welcome. Germany when hearing that: WW1 and WW2 flashback
I' m a maple syrup producer and need to correct a few things. First, the U.S. through the 1950s produced more syrup than Canada. Second, the reserve is not Canada's but rather the Quebec Federation's syrup. Starting in the 1960s Quebec started to take advantage of an untapped resource (pardon the pun) - its vast maple forests. The problem was that if they flooded the market with syrup the value would drop. It took them decades but they built the reserve up to control the price of syrup. A side benefit is that it backs up their supply to buyers in case of bad years like in 2012 when they literally used up all their supply. One thing that they do and you hinted at this is supply most of the syrup in Canada. They do this by blending all of the syrup that they collect from different farms. Maple syrup is like wine and that every farm produces syrup with a slightly different flavor that is a result of the weather, soil and a lot of other factors. What Quebec does is rob consumers of that flavor. The Federation is a good and bad thing. It stabilizes prices of syrup and has allowed thousands of producers like myself to earn a living from producing syrup but at the same time it's taken the family producers out of the picture in Quebec and pushed some of those companies south into the U.S. where they produce syrup without the Quebec restrictions.
Living in Ontario in the Maple Capital of Ontario, I, of course, have my local suppliers. We have a big Maple syrup festival every spring in Perth, Ontario!
It is a huge difference between fake and real maple syrup. Ones is basically thick sugar goo and the real stuff is much lighter with actual flavor and not just sugar.
I was born in New Brunswick Ca, next door to Quebec, and we too have maple trees. Having maple syrup, maple butter, maple pastries, maple bacon etc so often and too often made me dislike the syrup and never too this day have partake of this liquid gold.
When I started at my new job in Canada I was shocked to find that the communal kitchen was stocked with table syrup. I almost called the RCMP as I was pretty certain this was a crime - but I didn’t want to be that co-worker. 😂
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
The great Canadian syrup heist episode of The Casual Criminalist is still one of my favourites and one of the most Canadian stories I've ever had the pleasure of hearing
Kinda' of makes one question his statment of "heavily guarded".
I remember that. Some Canadians were calling for war over over the heist.
@@michaelb1761 I think it was in another less guarded facility I'm pretty sure the video mentioned it but not 100% certain
I dunno I have a bit of a soft spot for the clown riot.
ruclips.net/video/puPbZ3VDnh0/видео.html
From our beloved host - for the next person looking for it.
Fun fact: Here in Québec, table syrup is referred to as "Sirop de poteau", which litterally translates to "Utility pole syrup" !!
Ou au Québec? J'ai jamais entendu ça de ma vie 🤣
@@Decatronics自然 Tu as dû grandir sous une roche ;) C'est une expression très commune.
@@Decatronics自然 You must not have ever been in Beauce, Sirop de poteau is blasphemy here
@@Decatronics自然 sur la rive sud de Montréal et à 3-Ri on dit ça
@@Decatronics自然 same jai deja entendu ben du monde le dire montreal est ici
I live in Chaudiere-Appalaches, the heart of maple syrup production within Québec and Maple syrup is very common here. We all know some local producer who sells syrup and derived products (that is allowed by the Federation, its only bulk sales that are controlled by the Federation). One little thing : you mentioned that the syrup get darker as the weather gets colder, but it is the opposite. Maple syrup is made in the spring so the weather gets warmer during the season.
My dad was approached for a business deal by one of the guy who was heavily implicated in the maple syrup heist. He didn't feel the guy and he refused to work with him. We learned later that he had done jail time because of the syrup heist. Good instinct from my dad!
As a Canadian from rural Ontario my dad and I make our own maple syrup each spring. I use it to sweeten my coffee every day.
Maple coffee is so good!
I used to make it in my youth at a friend’s farm and at a great uncle’s. Lots of fresh air, exercise and wood smoke and I loved doing it.
Same, though once I moved out of our rural area I lost the trees to make my homemade syrup! Sigh.
I used to think maple syrup was Aunt Gemima and Log Cabin. Then the Canadian ambassador came to our school and let us have shots of real Grade A maple syrup and I was shocked at how much better it was. I can never go back to the fake stuff now.
lol my wife was the same
The first taste is free.
As a Canadian; Since childhood I've always referred to Aunt Jemima Syrup, as Aunt Jamima Bullshit. There is no substitute. None shall be consumed (as a substitute).
@@ByngerX That or 'pole syrup', as in what you'd get if you tapped a telephone pole for sap and boiled that down.
@@ByngerX I call it fake syrup.
As an American, I have to stand with my Canadian brothers on the subject of maple syrup. The "maple-flavored" stuff is horrible, I've used only genuine maple syrup since the 1970's. I just had some this morning over sourdough waffles, yum! It's expensive and worth it.
Tastes like love!
It's honestly not that expensive and when you consider how you can use less than the fake stuff for the same effect it's honestly cheaper than the fake stuff.
The table syrup really doesnt compare with the true stuff
And you've probably never had it fresh out of the pot and poured over fresh snow.
America literally has Vermont maple syrup. It’s the same quality by equivalent grade system. I don’t get why Americans are so dense about the great stuff Vermont is producing. I guess branding goes far.
Keep in mind that maple syrup isn't just for pancakes. It's an important ingredient and flavorant for many products internationally. Maple syrup is a very important resource and Canada is the number one producer of maple syrup in the world.
Correction: the syrup gets darker later in the season as the weather gets warmer. The color is actually from different healthy bacteria and microbes that form and multiply as the weather gets warmer, and it is left in the syrup giving it its amber color and maple flavor. If you filtered maple syrup like you do with corn syrup, the color and unique flavor would disappear. Cornell did a study on it a number of years ago
Around the holidays only, they make these Maple shaped, maple sugar, well maple leaves.
They've been a once a year treat since I was a kid and they might be the best thing on this earth.
I can't stand maple syrup unless its B grade, but I loved those maple leave sweets. They aren't meant to be year round, its so much better when it remains a special once a year treat.
I send them to my friend in the UK who love maple but can't afford it over there, it cost about $24 to send a 10 oz bottle over to them, but since they love it so much, Ill do it every year
Free samples at grocery stores
Syrup season is almost festive, shaking off the long winter. Almost every Canadian school kid from Ontario east to the Atlantic has eaten syrup poured on snow and turned into taffy. Then there are hotdogs boiled in sap for a bush lunch, whiskey and sap when the sun goes down. Best time of year!
The butter tarts is as quintessentially Canadian as Maple Syrup and making Butter Tarts with Maple Syrup (replacing brown sugar) elevates this National desert to Hockey like levels of Canadian.
Now ya got me hungry.
Have to try that, will be in Canada in august! Thanks
1:51 cornering the maple market
3:55 the maple bunker
6:01 the syrup must flow
9:03 great maple syrup heist
As an Aussie, I can assure you that we know the difference between "Golden Syrup", "Maple flavoured syrup" and "Maple Syrup" ... my family only buys genuine maple syrup from Canada. We consume a 250ml bottle every fortnight at a cost of around $9 (or $36 per litre). $0.02
Man I feel bad for you, this year's supply (about 4.5 liters) was "free" to me as I traded some stuff with my neighbour. But normally a gallon of syrup is about $55-60 CAD depending on the seller.
$9 (I'm assuming Australian dollars, which is more or less on par with Canadian dollars) is not bad actually. In Canada, a 540ml can runs anywhere from $8-$14 (sometimes higher) depending on where you buy it.
Buy it at $20/l at Costco in Australia
@@CatsMeowPaw that’s not great maple syrup at Costco. If you get a chance to taste a darker richer version please do.
You still need Golden Syrup for Golden Syrup dumplings though...
Syrup is harvested early in the spring so it gets darker as it gets warmer , not colder. Basically the trees send the sap up in anticipation for growing leaves and if it's too cold it comes back down, it's during this transit that it flows and is collected. It basically stops when it gets too warm as it just stays up in the branches to fuel leaf growth. How quickly that transition from freezing to leaf growing happens is what determines the length of the syrup season. Basically you got it all backwards...
Thanks for this. I wanted to explain this but you saved me the bother.
Thanks for saying this. Not to rip on Simon, but I was cringing when I heard that.
I'm really impressed with all the other stuff he got right!
maple Butter is one of the greatest thing in the world. For those who have not had the pleasure it is basically maple syrup whip to a butter like texture, and it is great on anything.
they call that Canadian cocaine
Maple taffy is good too.
especially great when put on good quality toasted bread with a generous amount of butter to add a salty greasy touch to it. Great stuff!
As a Canadian, all I can say about this is... sweet.
🇨🇦 😁 🍁
Same 🇨🇦
Dude.
@@megaprojects9649 Ah I see, you are a man of culture as well.
Sweet. What does mine say?!
I've been wanting to see a megaprojects on the spiral tunnels or more obviously the trans continental rail way but instead we get... syrup. OK.
Man being a security guard for a Maple Syrup warehouse sounds like a sweet gig!
Hi-oooooooooooo!
Har har😂🤣
As a Québecer, I should point out that most Qébecers do not buy their maple syrup at the grocery. The majority either know or they know someone who knows a small scale private producer.
Or you just buy it off a guy on the side of the road
As a Quebecers myself too, most people buy their syrup at the grocery. The population of Quebec is 9 millions and more than half take syrup... Logically talking, not everyone know a local producer. It just common sense.
I lived in Quebec for many years, and everybody bought their maple syrup from the grocery.
(Except once per year when we would attend a "sugaring-off" at a maple farm, or maybe from a farmer's market)
Well today i found out.
@@BatCaveOz
😅
As someone named Avery, Tabasco sauce's origin is a place of pride to a decree. Tabasco, while named after a Mexican state because it uses Tabasco peppers from said state, is not made in Mexico but rather at a place called Avery Island in Louisiana. It says Avery Island on every bottle! Avery Island is actually a salt dome, something that's formed when salt intrudes into overlying rocks due to diapirism (when lighter materials force their way up through denser ones).
Yup. I heard the guy that started Tabasco is the one that brought nutrias in Louisiana. For their pelt. A hurricane stroke, and most 'evaded' their cage. Thanks to that SOB, nutrias are hurting Louisiana land now.
I came here to say this (except for the name part).
Knowing is half the battle
The plants are germinated in the States. But they are shipped to various countries to grow. Then the peppers are shipped back to the states for processing and bottling.
I go through half a liter of Maple syrup every month. I love it with hot buttered toast at breakfast.
And although the Bank of Canada has always vehemently denied it, quite a good portion of the annual Canadian maple syrup production also goes into the printing process for the Canadian $100 dollar bank notes and their distinct maple syrup aroma!
Yeah, scratch and sniff.
Wait what?
The Féderation also provides quality assessment kits to producers. The kits include charts as well as vials with maple syrup samples of different grades, for visual and physical comparison. There are 5 grades, from Clair (clear) to Foncé (dark). My favourite is Ambré (amber) or grade 2.
Amber is the best!
.. but dark for cooking
9:02 I'm sure the thieves were very polite and apologetic and the warehouse was very understanding. 😆
I asked my wife if she was aware that Canada has a syrup reserve. Her response was of course she’s aware, then she asked if it had been robbed again. Don’t mess with our maple syrup.
If you need another video to watch over on the casual criminalist channel he covers the maple syrup heist
@@captaindemidov5788 flameo hotman🤙
yep 2 times two container full one in duty park waiting to fly tp Japan, the other one I don't rembere
plus the volt was robbed one
Sure, it's good on pancakes, but try it on ham or bacon! I put it in my coffee too! So, we all know that sugar season starts when the winter days days begin to lengthen and warm: you need daytime temperatures above freezing, and nighttime temps below freezing to collect the sap, but when do you stop collecting it? When I inquired I was told ( with a big smile by everyone I asked ) that one stops tapping when the new maple leaves are as large as a mouse's ear.
I loved the casual criminalist episode you did on this topic, it's always good to have a lighter-hearted one in amongst all the horror.
I loved that episode
What a fascinating video! Simon covers everything as per usual. To any any non-Canadian viewers, I can assure you I drown my pancakes+bacon in our holy syrup...
The illegal maple syrup market was actually a sub plot in an episode of Elementary (S5E13) ostensibly centered around the smuggling of thousands of gallons of maple syrup into the US which resulted in the murder of a young man who was a security guard at the point of entry for the syrup. Actually a very good episode.
Shepherd, Michigan has a maple syrup festival every year where the town puts a tap in the tree(s) of the homeowners and then collects it. Fun weekend with vendors, etc.
cant think of anything more Canadian than a maple syrup mafia...
They shoot pucks at people to take people out
I can see it in a back alley now. Pssst! Wanna buy some prime syrup?
@@jeremythornton433 Sold from the back of a pickup truck in old windshield washer jugs.
Or the fact it was created to help the producers.
Levi’s suit
As someone who recently moved to Quebec I don't think I've ever consumed so much maple syrup in my life, it's definitely liquid gold.
The syrup heist story should be a movie!
There has been talk of one
Quick! Someone ring Guy Ritchie!
@danschaller301 I thought exactly the same thing.
The reason for all those stocks is simple: very bad years of production was bringing some maple syrup producers to bankruptcy and too good years brought prices too low to make money out of its hard work. Each year is a challenge and the first thing we ask to our friends who produce each year is if it is a good year or not. There is a very understandable need to have a "community body" that buys from the producers at regulated prices: first make sure some years of overproduction do not bring prices too much down and second, allow producers to recover from past year's production when the Federation releases these older stocks (there is a mechanism for that) when there are years with lower production than demand requests.
The Dune references are both hilarious and greatly appreciated 😂
At 3:20 - as the weather gets "warmer", not colder. Sap is gathered in the spring which leads to summer... Canadian Maple Syrup Producer here!
As a Canadian this seems utterly sensible. Syrup is sacred 😆
Nasty table sirup is called "sirop de poteau" or telephone pole sirup.
Maple is Grand!
The Maple Syrup heist is my absolute favorite episode of Casual Criminalist! It really was refreshing after all that murder and I'm fairly certain Simon agrees with me!
I think we need a video that lists out all the ridiculous reserves around the world with estimates on how much they would be worth.
That;s a video for their TOPTENZ channel!
Why? Are you planning a number of heists?
The maple reserve is not ridiculous though. The goal is to deal with uneven seasons and give a chance to smaller producers to not be kicked out of the market on hood years because big producers can price them out.
Before the reserve went “live”, you vould see the price of maple syrup cut by half or double in price each year… with the reserve, producers can pile up surplus then “use” it on bad years.
Nailed our French (passion for style) and British (need for carbohydrates) history.
The oft unspoken foundation for internationally confusing Canadian politics.
No way would France allow you to bring a pack of that stuff in
The Casual Criminalist episode on the heist of this place was awesome!
Well crafted documentary I have to say, as a Quebecer. I can’t even fathom having crepes/pancakes with anything else than maple syrup (aka liquid gold in some neighborhoods). Kudos to Simon acing this one.
As a Quebecois who harvests maple syrup as a hobby and for personal use, I found this video both highly funny and entertaining.
As a good Canadian boy, I have made syrup with my brother in the last few years. Thanks for the interesting episode.
Also, as good Canadians who have had plenty of maple syrup in our day, my son and I noticed that the liquid being poured on pancakes at the beginning of the episode was not maple syrup. It was too thick, and most likely a kind of fake syrup.
I noticed the same thing, proper maple syrup is liquid and sticky, not gooey like honey
I'm almost positive that was corn syrup, most likely dyed with molasses. Real syrup has more of a glow to it
@@crinkly.love-stick I was thinking the same thing.
I'm pretty sure I've heard of motor oil being used for maple syrup related videos. Of course only when it's not actually for someone to eat
It must be more part of the culture out east. I've got a bottle in the fridge that's two years old and I bet I've only used three tablespoons. It should be tossed but at this point it's more of a historical monument in my fridge than a condiment. In banff we sell it in these stupid hokey 250ml bottles shaped like a maple leaf for $30 odd bucks and the yanks/brits/aussies buy it up like crack.
Ultimate Canadian dish, Kraft Dinner with Maple Syrup, cheese curds and piping hot gravy.
The Canadian maple syrup reserves. The most important place on Earth.
Top security: All barrels need a Robertson Screw Driver to open.
Na those are common up here bud, id recommend the Americans start usen em for securing things lol
@@Flarexxxx You got it ass-backwards, guy. The Robertson screw is a Canadian invention. The joke is that Americans wouldn't be able to open the barrels because they don't have Robertson screwdrivers
@@ramshacklealex7772 im aware of what it is, Robertson bits and screwdrivers are common here wouldn't keep an American out due to availability
Lol good one 😂
Maple Syrup, I put that stuff in everything. Aside from the usual use on pancakes it works in any kind of cooking. A shot of syrup in or on, stew, chili, bacon, pasta, salmon, some soups, ice cream, baking of course, BBQ, steamed vegetables, toast, chili pepper dishes, anything really. When using only a small amount in savoury dishes it does not contribute a Maple flavour but a earthy complexity that many people will not be able to identify. If you live somewhere that gets snow, you've got to try pouring some on snow and pick it up like you do spaghetti on a fork, then eat it like a popsicle. Don't do this where to Huskies go of course.
At 7:40 the call half a littre per person per year, I can confidently tell you thats this is a rookie number.
Half a liter is roughly one can and you need more than that just for the Holiday season. At home we buy at least 7-8 can a year from a friend. Now we produce our own syrup (about 4 to 5 gallon a year).
That was my question. On what they calculate that number? How many can they sell every year divided by 38,25 millions (Number of Canadians in 2021)? Do they count all the maple syrup made by "backyard" producers (those who like me, produce just enough for family and friends) ? Or is it that new Canadians did not yet developed that sweet maple tooth?
I already have bust that number for 2023 XD
as a born & raised Quebecker, I must say that this was very accurate & incredibly well researched
I proudly use at least 1/2 a liter of maple syrup a year lol. Not only for pancakes but in sauces, marinades or even homemade chili. :)
Canadians are wimps. I can blow through that in two batches of pancakes.
A year? Pathetic, those are rookie numbers.
i just drink from the can loll
Put it in coffee instead of sugar.
My family's average consumption is over 7 litres a year. We buy 16 cans every year in Spring from local producers.
Nothing more Canadian than the Great Maple Syrup Heist.
It was the subject of an episode of the show Dirty Money, on Netflix (season 1, episode 5).
I helped set up the lines and taps for maple syrup while I was on a farm in WV. It was awful work. Then after months we barely got any. 10,000 gallon tank was maybe a fifth full of sap.
I love seeing how elaborate these people's sugar huts are. I was in one up north that had a home bar in it.
I believe the segments from this video were taken from the Garland Sugar Shack video. ruclips.net/video/nt5g9zcBXeE/видео.html
Spending a couple weeks boiling syrup and tending the fire 24/7 requires a lot of alcohol. Think of ice fishing but warmer.
Funny enough, I am a 60 year old Canadian. Ingrew up in western Canada and our family never had Maple Syrup. It was not until the age of 57 when I moved to Nova Scotia where I first tasted Maple Syrup. I only use syrup from Nova Scotia. Um, uh, flapjacks be a US term I believe. We have pancakes
Maple Syrup is widely produced south of the boarder too.Northern NY and Vermont have many large and small producers, and production is not controlled. I'm sure there are many other places, but that is an area I'm familiar with. Talking to one producer he keep referring to "table" syrup as pole syrup. I had to ask what is pole syrup and was told that's the pancake or common syrup sold in stores. He wasn't sure where it came from but assumed it might be what one would get if he inadvertently taped a utility pole.
Probably comes from Quebec. We call "sirop de poteau" or "utility pole syrup" the fake thing here since decades.
Tabasco is from Avery Island in Louisiana. It says that right on the bottle.
I love how most of the stock footage is of table syrup
As another Canadian - whatever was poured at 1:01 was NOT maple syrup. 1/2L of maple syrup a YEAR? That's about 1 month in our family of 3.
So between the USA and Canada, we will never have to worry about running short on grilled cheese and waffles. Good to know
Thanks for this very interesting info i never knew. As a Canadian I can confirm i eat maple syrup daily in our house we basically use maple syrup in place of sugar. For example in our coffee and I put it on my oatmeal every day I feel lost without it .
other countries: we need strategic Oil reserves for our future.
Canada : Tree juice Reserves
true Canadian moment
We have 5 or 6 provinces and 1 territory, that produce oil, I believe only 4 provinces produce Maple Syrup, on a scale worth noting.
Got it covered.
Given how valuable it is economically this is still hilarious but slightly more serious.
Props to Simon for not bursting out into laughter but stifling it in the most sarcastic script possible
I live in Southern Ontario, each region of the province prides itself on producing its own quality syrup (even some of the cities).
Another thing that does happen is 'Rogue Loggers' coming in and chopping down all the trees - including the maple trees - in a tree lot.
The best sap producing maple trees are usually in Old Growth forests, which also just happen to have the biggest trees; seen as ripe for 'harvesting'.
Do you Ontarians drink a lot of your own wine? Out in BC here we drink most of our own wine and despite myself hearing that Ontario is big for wine production, the selection here is terrible.
@@mattblom3990 Yes, the Pelee Island wines are a particular favourite of mine.
"chopping maple tree" should be illegal.
@@nathalie_desrosiers It is, but once the tree is chopped down....
1:55 - Chapter 1 - Cornering the maple market
4:00 - Chapter 2 - The maple bunker
6:05 - Chapter 3 - The syrup must flow
9:05 - Chapter 4 - Great maple syrup heist
There's a correlation between how cold winters are and how industrious the people who live there are. This applies outside of Canada too, but in Canada, at least when I was a kid, it was common to have family come together after the harvest season, and start planning for winter consumption. You learn how to preserve food, and store it for medium term utility. Sadly this is a skill being lost in our culture in the past couple of decades.
I'm a maple syrup producer from Québec. From what I know, most of the Fédération (now PPAQ) revenues come from the fee they charge us to inspect and classify the syrup. This fee is not a percentage but it is a fixed amount of about 0.14$/pound and a pound is worth around 2.50$-3.00$ on average. It turns out to about 5% There is not other fees on our side. What you didn't speak about in the video is the payment system to the producers. We are paid as a % of sales for the production of each year. If we have a very good season and the reserve is full, we will get around 70-80% of our payment within a year and the remaining may take 3-4 years to be paid to us. We are the ones supporting that strategic reserve with that evergoing account receivable. At any given time, they owe me almost a full year of production. All and all, I will qualify this as a necessary evil that helps stabilize the revenues for the producers and the price the consumers pays.
"He cares not from whence the syrup flows, only that it flows." -Khorne or something
The local slang for "table syrup" in Quebec is "syrop du poteau" .. roughly translated to "telephone pole syrup".
as a canadian, i can confirm this exists
Ok
We know what you're up to. Don't think we're not prepared for your viscous machinations.
Is the Alberta Rat War real also?
@@DaveSandine Unfortunately.
I think I suggested this video idea a while ago. That said, as a west coast Canadian I have to be very clear that although every Canadian does feel an affinity to maple syrup, on average they literally dont consume as much as Simon suggests, across the entire country. That average (500ml's per year) would include commercial and industrial food uses as well, which will bring the personal consumption number down significantly.
Saying that maple syrup is inherent to the Canadian national identity, is like saying that Bangers and Mash is uniquely analogous to the British national identity.... it isnt, and neither is Canadian maple syrup. At most its a part of of it ... a small part.
I'm from the Okanagan and I thought the 500ml/yr estimate was pretty conservative, or at least in my social circle lol. On average I think my family goes through about 2 bottles every 2 months and I'd say for most of my friends it's about the same. Heck, when we go on our annual fishing trip we go through at least an entire bottle in a week (along with more than a few cases of beer haha).
Though I would say that when I was in Montreal for uni, I noticed they have a much closer emotional relationship to it there.
Who consumes the factory made products with syrup as an ingredient? Canadian people of course. It is not clear from the figure given in the video whether that is only for end user sale or all syrup usage, but if you take all domestic usage over the Canadian population, it gives you the average per capita consumption of all syrup in what form soever. Actually I would expect that the number includes all usage, because that's how food statistics are generally given. Besides, 500ml is not that much. In Germany for example, honey is pretty popular and the average consumption is around 1kg per capita (including food production, but the majority is probably directly bought by end users), a bit more than half a kilogrammof syrup per Canadian seems a pretty normal and relatable figure.
Also drizzle syrup on bacon... it's amazing
Lots of Americans I know think maple syrup is cheat in Canada, but it depends where you are. Since it's extracted and produced in Quebec, which is in eastern Canada, any of the provinces in western Canada (such as Alberta or British Columbia) have to pay a steep price for maple syrup. I have to imagine it's somewhat similar in the US when it comes to states that are further away from Vermont.
I like this series within a series about bizarre cultural caches. I hope to see more.
I didn't even taste the stuff until later in life. Aunt jamima on pancakes and waffles my whole childhood. Once you try the real McCoy there's no going back. It' like a fine single malt scotch vs a bottle of jack.
Those maple leaf cookies are badass. Taste just like maple syrup.
.. but beware of the imitations, the ones not using real maple
The best things is that most people have never had maple syrup. They've had maple flavored syrup. Which is corn and artificial flavors.
I've never understood people's fan fair of Aunt Jemima syrup. It's so bland compared to real maple.
@@nathansamuelson its just the cheap price and easy access. But you are right, nothing compares to the real stuff!
Imitation maple syrup is like pouring cough syrup on your pancakes.
I can guarantee you I use more than 0.5l of maple syrup per year 😆
I eat 0.5L of syrup in butter tarts alone.
I'm about 2L a year myself.
Authentic maple syrup is a world away from imitation. If you haven't once, it will be almost impossible to ever go back. Kind of like another famous saying I've heard of before......
One of my favorite episodes of ‘Mom’ was when the girls went across the border to buy black market maple syrup. Hilarious!
Thanks you for talking about this! Quebec maple syrup is somehow a highly controlled ressource.
I remember eating a Mountie figure made from maple sugar when I was 5 years old, in 1960. To this day I cannot handle highly sweetened food. (We used to go to Canada a lot to fish, back in the day.)
I can’t stand maple syrup for the same reason, I’d visit my family in Quebec annually as a child, and they always filled us up with hard and soft maple candies, maple pastries, hot maple syrup on snow, maple spreads on toast, etc. It was sickening.
Best marinade ever for grilled pork chops. 50/50 mix of soy sauce and real maple syrup! You won't be disappointed.
"Hey, that's some nice pancakes ya got there. Sure would be a shame if some inferior syrup got all over em..." -Canadian Maple Syrup Mafia
...and they would be correct
"sacre blue! Hey, c'est de belles crêpes que tu as là. Ce serait bien sûr dommage si du sirop de qualité inférieure les envahissait...Tabernac!"
Fun fact.
The maple syrup reserve is one of the few industries authorized to have armed security in Canada. Putting in up there with Cash, Jewelery, and tobacco/alcohol.
To every American laughing right now... Like to talk about your cheese reserve?
@Dougal Douglas I forgot the "ey" at the end🤣
Endangerment to the Royal British Tea reserve is one of the few scenarios where the UK has a first strike nuclear policy.
I ain't laughing, I got to have my maple syrup on my pancakes with sausage!
Maple syrup can also be substituted for simple syrup in alcoholic drinks - like in mohitoes. Adds a very Canadian twist.
A common thief doesn't pull the biggest heist in Canadian history
brain boy
There is a book called 'Live Free or Die' which has as a major plot point that maple syrup become a strategic commodity and an interstellar war is fought over it.
Simons: Anyone with plans to tap their usual 200 000 barrels of precious maple syrup would be met with the most Canadian of welcome.
Germany when hearing that: WW1 and WW2 flashback
I' m a maple syrup producer and need to correct a few things. First, the U.S. through the 1950s produced more syrup than Canada. Second, the reserve is not Canada's but rather the Quebec Federation's syrup. Starting in the 1960s Quebec started to take advantage of an untapped resource (pardon the pun) - its vast maple forests. The problem was that if they flooded the market with syrup the value would drop. It took them decades but they built the reserve up to control the price of syrup. A side benefit is that it backs up their supply to buyers in case of bad years like in 2012 when they literally used up all their supply.
One thing that they do and you hinted at this is supply most of the syrup in Canada. They do this by blending all of the syrup that they collect from different farms. Maple syrup is like wine and that every farm produces syrup with a slightly different flavor that is a result of the weather, soil and a lot of other factors. What Quebec does is rob consumers of that flavor.
The Federation is a good and bad thing. It stabilizes prices of syrup and has allowed thousands of producers like myself to earn a living from producing syrup but at the same time it's taken the family producers out of the picture in Quebec and pushed some of those companies south into the U.S. where they produce syrup without the Quebec restrictions.
I love it when Simon talks about Canada lol
Living in Ontario in the Maple Capital of Ontario, I, of course, have my local suppliers. We have a big Maple syrup festival every spring in Perth, Ontario!
It is a huge difference between fake and real maple syrup. Ones is basically thick sugar goo and the real stuff is much lighter with actual flavor and not just sugar.
I was born in New Brunswick Ca, next door to Quebec, and we too have maple trees. Having maple syrup, maple butter, maple pastries, maple bacon etc so often and too often made me dislike the syrup and never too this day have partake of this liquid gold.
If you sleep over after a successful date and have breakfast. If they serve fake syrup...well it's a deal breaker.
Heavily armed security in Quebec is a dude named Guy walking around with a flashlight.
The syrup... Must flow?
My grandparents came from Centre du Quebec Bois-Francs region. Sirop D'erable🍁 is a way of life.
When I started at my new job in Canada I was shocked to find that the communal kitchen was stocked with table syrup. I almost called the RCMP as I was pretty certain this was a crime - but I didn’t want to be that co-worker. 😂
You should have done it. It was your DUTY.
It’s worse than a crime here in Canada. It’s rude. 😮
I was shaking my head about how Canadians could be so passionate about syrup.....until I heard you say Tabasco comes from Mexico....then I understood
Definitely, and the reserve is all about money. When one country controls 85% of a premium product, they'll work hard to protect it.