I'm making an effort to introduce more "real"/natural/unadulterated foods into my diet, and it's dawned on me that sometimes what we think we've been eating all these years is something completely different:
A recent example is my experiment with maple syrup. I'm a big fan of pancakes and waffles, so I thought I would try "real" maple syrup. I tried a couple of different varieties, and my first impression was-
It doesn't taste like it's "supposed to".
I tried some different kinds, and noticed some differences (for example, the darker the syrup, the stronger the flavor typically), and that Grade A isn't necessarily "better" than Grade B, it's just different. Still, to me, the natural maple syrup mainly tasted sweet, not "maple-y", which started me wondering, what exactly is in most name brand pancake syrups? (and there is a reason they call it "pancake syrup", which we shall see).
After examining several different brands, including Mrs. Butterworth's (our family favorite), it turns out the main ingredient is molasses, not maple syrup (along with the typical assortment of preservatives, artificial flavorings, etc.) Thus, my taste confusion became clear-
I was totally wrong about what maple syrup was "supposed to" taste like because I'd never actually had it.
So, my decision now is to a)get accustomed to the taste of real maple syrup; or b)find a more unadulterated type of molasses to pour on my Sunday waffles, since apparently that's what I've been eating (and liking) all these years.
Just a little object lesson in a world of knock-offs, derivatives, and outright fakes-are you eating the real thing?
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