Quintessential Canadian delight

Any Canadian worth their salt will know what butter tarts are. They are basically pastry shells filled with a custard of eggs, butter and maple syrup, the quintessentially Canadian sweetener made by reducing the sap of the maple tree.

This indigenous product, processed by the aboriginal people of North America long before the arrival of the Europeans, was quickly adopted by the settlers to sweeten a variety of confectionery due to the scarcity of other sugar sources in the New World.

Butter tarts have a gooey filling made of eggs and maple syrup. — Photos: LOW LAY PHON/The Star