Maple Syrup Salad Dressing

Don’t we all love to be surprised by a salad at a restaurant and wonder what their magic trick is? Well, this might be it! Maple syrup is the often-forgotten third ingredient in a dressing. Let me explain… we all know the basic oil and vinegar dressing, and then we learned to add a touch of mustard to emulsify our dressings or, in other words, prevent it from separating. But what cuts all this acidity from the vinegar? What balances it out? Maple syrup to the rescue! This is my dad’s beloved Maple Syrup Salad Dressing, and many other Canadian families use this secret ingredient to enhance their salads!

Why Acidifying our Salads?

Ok, let’s not generalize, but more often than not, a salad dressing on its own will squeeze a few wrinkles into your face because of its acidic content. But at the same time, we are so scared of adding any sugar anywhere because of its ‘bad reputation.’ When choosing between sucrose options, it’s worth noting that maple syrup offers the lowest amounts of sugars, calories, and carbohydrates per serving than white sugar or honey. It also includes manganese, riboflavin, zinc, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Here is an excellent article to demystify this Golden liquid! In small quantities, maple syrup is an excellent addition to balancing vinaigrettes.

Green Salad: a Cultural Phenomenon

Did you know French people like to eat their salad at the end of the meal? Apparently, it helps digestion. I like my green salad as a starter; it helps cut my appetite and fills me with vitamins before adding heavy carbs and fats. This simple green salad with Maple syrup dressing is the salad that would always be in the middle of the table back home in Canada. My mom would serve small bowls, and we would dig in and eat our salad at the same time as the main meal. How is it at your place? Does the salad go before, during, or after the main meal? Let me know in the comments!