View source for Table syrup

{{short description|Artificial syrup used on pancakes and waffles}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2023}}

{{Infobox food
| name = Table syrup
| alternate_name = Pancake syrup, waffle syrup
| image =
| caption = A bottle of Mrs. Butterworth's syrup, a brand of table syrup
| minor_ingredient = [[Corn syrup]], [[high-fructose corn syrup]] or [[cane sugar]], water, coloring, flavoring, and preservatives
| type = [[Syrup]]
| place_of_origin = United States
}}

'''Table syrup''', also known as '''pancake syrup''' and '''waffle syrup''', is a [[syrup]] used as a topping on [[pancake]]s, [[waffle]]s, and [[french toast]], often as an alternative to [[maple syrup]], although more viscous typically.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YBx6Em_V7VMC&dq=table+syrup+more+viscous+than+maple&pg=PA6 | title=Consumer preference for graded maple syrup | last1=Sendak | first1=Paul E. | date=1978 }}</ref> It is typically made by combining [[corn syrup]] with either [[cane sugar]] or [[high-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 like [[Aunt Jemima]] and [[Mrs. Butterworth's]] were 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 word ''syrup'' with the exception of [[Maple syrup|''maple'']], [[Cane syrup|''cane'']], and [[Sorghum syrup|''sorghum'']]. Commonly used names are ''table syrup'', ''pancake syrup'', ''waffle syrup'', and ''pancake and waffle syrup''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 |url=https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=168.180 |access-date=2023-04-07 |website=www.accessdata.fda.gov}}</ref>

== History ==
In the late 19th century, as [[Urbanization in the United States|Americans 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 adding [[decoction]]s of maple wood, hickory, or corn cobs, and by giving them a brown color mimicking that of maple syrup by boiling [[brown sugar]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Appelbaum |first=Yoni |date=2011-11-01 |title=Making the Grade: Why the Cheapest Maple Syrup Tastes Best |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/11/making-the-grade-why-the-cheapest-maple-syrup-tastes-best/239133/ |access-date=2023-04-07 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref> By the beginning of the 1900s, the amount of Vermont maple syrup being sold was ten times the actual production.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Regier |first=C. C. |date=1933 |title=The Struggle for Federal Food and Drugs Legislation |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1189447 |journal=Law and Contemporary Problems |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=3–15 |doi=10.2307/1189447 |jstor=1189447 |issn=0023-9186|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Frustration with these misleading products helped bring about the [[Pure Food and Drug Act]], which set out to ban mislabelled foods.<ref name=":0" /> Following this, products like [[Mapleine]] and [[Log Cabin syrup|Log Cabin]] branded themselves as maple syrup alternatives that used science and research to produce a superior flavor.<ref name=":0" />

After [[World War II]], products backed by large corporations like [[Quaker Oats Company|Quaker Oats]]' [[Aunt Jemima]] and [[Unilever]]'s [[Mrs. Butterworth's]] were introduced. These products only contained trace amounts of actual maple syrup.<ref name=":0" />

== Production ==
Table syrups are primarily made from other syrups combined with water, coloring, flavoring, and preservatives. The syrups most often used to create table syrup are [[corn syrup]] and [[high-fructose corn syrup]]. Some brands such as [[Log Cabin syrup]] use [[rice syrup]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Is Maple Syrup Good for You? |url=https://www.consumerreports.org/maple-syrup/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-maple-syrup-a4641022671/ |access-date=2023-04-07 |website=Consumer Reports |language=en-US}}</ref> Despite serving as an alternative to maple syrup, modern table syrups often do not have any maple syrup content.<ref name="consumer">{{cite web |author=Calvo, Trisha |date=25 March 2017 |title=5 Things You Need to Know About Maple Syrup |url=http://www.consumerreports.org/maple-syrup/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-maple-syrup/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223181823/http://www.consumerreports.org/maple-syrup/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-maple-syrup/ |archive-date=23 February 2017 |access-date=21 May 2017 |publisher=Consumer Reports}}</ref>

Major brands of table syrup include [[Pearl Milling Company]], formerly [[Aunt Jemima]]; [[Mrs. Butterworth's]]; and [[Log Cabin syrup|Log Cabin]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |title=Why Americans overwhelmingly prefer fake maple syrup |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/03/27/why-americans-overwhelmingly-prefer-fake-maple-syrup/ |access-date=2023-04-07 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

== Usage ==
Table syrups are often used as a cheaper alternative to [[maple syrup]], with, as of 2015, prices of table syrup, {{convert|8|$/USgal|0|abbr=off|order=flip}}, being 5-8 times lower than those of maple syrup, {{convert|40|-|60|$/USgal|abbr=off|order=flip|0}}.<ref name=":2" />

In a 2015 survey by [[The Washington Post]] it 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 the [[Northeastern United States]], giving Americans outside of that region less exposure to maple syrup.<ref name=":2" /> Compared to the complex maple flavor of maple syrup, table syrups are said to be singularly sweet with little complexity and noticeable artificial flavors.<ref name=":1" />

== References ==
<references />

{{Sugar}}

[[Category:American cuisine]]
[[Category:Syrup]]