A reach to the back of the fridge earlier today brought out a bottle Vermont Maple Seltzer that had been waiting there. Having not had it before, the first sip was a surprise: sweet, if thin, the expected maple flavor and yet, different. It was better than anything else named seltzer I had ever drunk, but not, as I was expecting, simply a fancier soft drink. Looking at the label, I realized why: the stuff is 100% carbonated maple sap, with no water (or anything else) added! I had assumed it was a soda made from water, some sweetner, and maple-derived flavoring of some kind, but no. That is keeping it real.
It reminded me of something that was very apparent after reading The Wines and Beers of Old New England: how the sugar-poor reality of early northeastern agriculture affected the cuisine, especially drinks. Potable water, as in every pre-modern settlement, was an iffy prospect, with alcohol providing the necessary preservative and protection. But when vinifera grapevines couldn't survive, the grains needed for beer were scarce, and cane sugar too expensive for most, what to do? Turn to apples, of course, and sap, and whatever you could make from the twigs and bark of birch trees. Sugar! Had to have it.
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