Maple sugar is a solid, granulated or molded sugar made by boiling maple sap - primarily from the sugar maple (Acer saccharum) - well past the syrup stage until nearly all the water evaporates and the sugars crystallize. It has a rich, caramelized flavor, sweeter and more concentrated than maple syrup because it holds almost no water. Indigenous peoples of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois, Abenaki, and Ojibwe, were the first to develop sap-boiling techniques, a practice still centered in Quebec, the Maritimes, and the northeastern United States. In the kitchen it substitutes for granulated or brown sugar in baking and spice rubs, and its caramel notes pair well with nuts, cinnamon, ginger, and dark chocolate.