Details
This syrup is a pure nectar, and very fashionable in great chefs’ kitchens, where birch syrup (yellow birch) stands out because of its unique and delicious taste and its versatility. It can be used instead of very aged balsamic vinegar. Escuminac birch syrup has won multiple taste awards.
The birch (Yellow Birch), which is an emblem of Quebec, is a tree which is mainly found in mature, centuries-old Quebec forests. Unique and rare, birch syrup is a natural syrup produced from the sap harvested in spring. After a long, delicate process of sugar concentration with heat, it takes 160 liters of birch sap to produce a single liter of birch syrup. The total production is limited to 1,500 pounds a year.
Érablière Escuminac harvests from one of the most beautiful century-old yellow birch forests, traditionally called cherrywood in Québec. The conversion of sap to syrup is extremely delicate, but thankfully Martin Malenfant’s formidable technical knowledge allowed him to develop a stable high-performing method, to bring this precious nectar to a boil without overflow or caramelization.
This syrup is a pure nectar, and very fashionable in great chefs’ kitchens, where birch syrup (yellow birch) stands out because of its unique and delicious taste and its versatility. It can be used instead of very aged balsamic vinegar. A perfect balance of acidity and sugar, it is embracing, rich and smooth. It can be used in any dish, from starter to dessert via the main course, side dishes, and even cocktails. With its strong flavour, a small quantity is enough to set off an intense explosion of flavours, which makes this an accessible yet rare luxury product.
It is also said to have many properties and virtues as a result of its beneficial elements: vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins.
A NECTAR PRODUCED IN VERY SMALL QUANTITIES, WHICH MUST UNDOUBTEDLY HAVE BEEN THE BALSAMIC VINEGAR OF THE NATIVE AMERICANS IN THE PAST!
Yellow birch syrup vs Birch syrup
Rare and sought out, there must be a distinction made between yellow birch syrup and birch syrup, that is a more common and much less complex syrup than the yellow birch syrup.
We will therefore speak of white birch and not yellow birch, two totally distinct trees. The confusion certainly has roots in the tree name, since in the forest both species are distinct. The yellow birch is a big tree which is mainly found in mature, centuries-old forests, while the white birch mainly grows in transitional forests. The bark of the white birch is white, as the name suggests, while that of the yellow birch is golden and changes over the years. On the young tree the bark is smooth, becoming rougher and darker as it ages.
