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 syruporcane sugar,water, coloring, flavoring, and preservatives

Table syrup,also known aspancake syrupandwaffle syrup,is asyrupused as a topping onpancakes,waffles,andfrench toast,often as an alternative tomaple syrup.It is typically made by combiningcorn syrupwith eithercane sugarorhigh-fructose corn syrup,water,food coloring,flavoring, and preservatives.

Table syrups were introduced in the late 19th century to fill the desire of maple syrup for Americans moving into urban areas. After World War II, major brands likeAunt JemimaandMrs. Butterworth'swere introduced with little actual maple syrup.

Naming

In the United States, table syrups can be sold under a name consisting of any word followed by the wordsyrupwith the exception ofmaple,cane,andsorghum.Commonly used names aretable syrup,pancake syrup,waffle syrup,andpancake and waffle syrup.

History

In the late 19th century, asAmericans 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 addingdecoctionsof maple wood, hickory, or corn cobs, and by giving them a brown color mimicking that of maple syrup by boilingbrown sugar.By the beginning of the 1900s, the amount of Vermont maple syrup being sold was ten times the actual production.

Frustration with these misleading products helped bring about thePure Food and Drug Act,which set out to ban mislabelled foods.Following this, products likeMapleineandLog Cabinbranded themselves as maple syrup alternatives that used science and research to produce a superior flavor.

AfterWorld War II,products backed by large corporations likeQuaker Oats'Aunt JemimaandUnilever'sMrs. Butterworth'swere introduced. These products only contained trace amounts of actual maple syrup.

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 arecorn syrupandhigh-fructose corn syrup.Some brands such asLog Cabin syrupuserice syrup.Despite serving as an alternative to maple syrup, modern table syrups often do not have any maple syrup content.

Major brands of table syrup includePearl Milling Company,formerlyAunt Jemima;Mrs. Butterworth's;andLog Cabin.

Usage

Table syrups are often used as a cheaper alternative tomaple 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).

In a 2015 survey byThe Washington Postit 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 theNortheastern United States,giving Americans outside of that region less exposure to maple syrup.Compared to the complex maple flavor of maple syrup, table syrups are said to be singularly sweet with little complexity and noticeable artificial flavors.