The sugar-ful event on Toronto’s Sugar Beach featured live music, local vendors and most importantly – maple syrup
By: Aliya Karimjee
A Sugar Shack worker is pouring maple syrup on a stick in the snow to create a traditional Canadian dessert of maple taffy. (CanCulture/Aliya Karimjee)
One Canadian stereotype that isn’t wrong is that Canadians love their maple syrup.
On March 11 and 12, from a live band to a diverse array of sweet and savoury foods, Sugar Shack TO had everything to offer. But my personal highlight from the — the undeniably sweet maple taffy.
This sugary snack is originally an Indigenous tradition. Legend has it that Canada’s Indigenous Peoples witnessed a squirrel drinking the sap from a tree and discovered this “sweet water” was crucial for food preservation. The recipe was later co-opted and claimed by French settlers as their own, especially around Quebec.
This tradition is made by boiling the maple sap for hours. The perfect temperature will allow the maple to harden on the snow, creating the famous maple taffy on a stick.
Being half Québécoise, it has been a childhood tradition to go to these types of sugar shacks.
My family sitting at a large table eating traditional Quebec meals, followed by eating maple taffy (CanCulture/Aliya Karimjee)
In Quebec, we would eat traditional Quebec meals like maple-smoked ham, “oreilles de crisse” and other famous dishes, dance together while a live band sang and finish our day with maple taffy.
Sugar Shack TO’s ambiance was definitely similar. Everyone seemed so happy and relaxed. This event definitely surrounded me with a “homey” feeling.
There were many activities, including Anishinaabe storytelling by Lenore Keeshig, a few lumberjack shows, maple taffy and other food stands, as shown on Sugar Shack TO’s Instagram page.
The event was a lovely afternoon outing – getting food and listening to music. But, for events like these, you have to go on an empty stomach to get the whole experience.
Despite the small French population in Toronto, there was definitely community-building as everyone would start conversations with new people and make new connections.
Vendors with maple products allowed people to bond over food and buy authentic maple souvenirs and desserts.
Although few people were dancing, I did see some enjoying themselves.
Following this event, I recommend going sugar-shacking as you get to spend a lovely day out while building community.
On top of it all, you get to eat maple taffy — is there anything more fitting to celebrate the winter season in Canada?