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cabane à sucre
< Canadian French
DCHP-2 (Oct 2016)
Spelling variants:Cabane A Sucre,
n. — Food, especially New Brunswick, Quebec, Alberta
a cabin where maple sap is boiled into syrup and, today, usually served to tourists (see Image 1).
Type: 1. Origin — A loanword from Canadian French that has entered Canadian English in the (late) 20th century. It is the French equivalent to sugar shack, which is somewhat older than this term. In early Canada, such shacks were usually called cabanes, sugar shacks, sugaring-huts or sugar-huts. The present term is a more recent variant (see the quotations) that seems to be increasing in importance, perhaps in line with positive connotations, e.g. of 'sophistication', 'Europeanness' or the like, over its English synonyms. It is found now in various locations, such as on the Prairies. Chart 1 shows that the term is overwhelmingly found in Canada. Chart 2 shows New Brunswick & Quebec in the East and Alberta in the West as two strong holds, followed by the Yukon Territory.
COD-2 labels the term as "Cdn (Que)".
COD-2 labels the term as "Cdn (Que)".
The spelling with the accent, "à", or without it, "a", has a regional dimension in Canada. In Nova Scotia, spellings without the accent, cabane a sucre dominate (see the caption in Image 1), as they do in the Northwest Territories.
Quotations
1985
Descending the slope toward his cabane a sucre, Maheux pointed out the dead trees, numbering them off like lost sons.
"That one and that one, that one. I've worked with these trees all my life and look what it's come to.
"They're not dying like trees used to die. They get very small leaves and the leaves turn yellow in late July. And the bark dries up and peels off. My father says he's never seen anything like it."
1992
After a tour of the bakery, the cabane a sucre (where the maple sap is boiled in springtime) and plenty of Faucher's sharp wit, caribou is served - a mixture of white whiskey and white, red and blueberry wines.
2003
St. Charles Elementary: Grade 4 students enjoyed their field trip to a cabane a sucre in St. Eustache.
2007
"It's a long, cold, dark stretch of time," said McFadyen. "I'd bundle up, go down to the Festival du Voyageur, probably have some tourtiere, maybe stop at the cabane a sucre."
2008
Visit Cabane a sucre Bertrand, near Mirabel airport, where you can see how the syrup is made and walk along beautiful wooded nature paths.
2015
FUR TRADE CHRISTMAS This festive family event runs on Dec. 12 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Santa and his real reindeer will be posing for pictures between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tobogganing, snowshoeing and sleigh rides are all on site and the market will feature handmade items and maple taffy from a Cabane a Sucre.
References
- COD-2
Images
Image 1: Cabane à sucre, Nova Scotia. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Photo: Oven Fresh
Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 30 Oct. 2013
