When I was growing up in the ‘50s, syrup meant Karo in our house. We put it on pancakes, waffle, and whatever. But I never knew anything about it, and have long forgotten it, moving on to pure maple syrup, and other varieties. Recently I was thinking about those days of yore, and did a little research about Karo Syrup. Here’s some of what I found.
On May 13, 1902, the Corn Products Refining Company of New York and Chicago introduced Karo Light and Dark Corn Syrup. The syrup formulator who came up with the product may have named it to honor his wife, Caroline. Another possibility is that it was named for an earlier table syrup called, Kairomel.
Before Karo was introduced, housewives carried empty syrup jugs to their grocery stores to be refilled from barrels of syrup kept by local grocers.
The company, over the years, published numerous cookbooks featuring the use of Karo syrup, and alternate versions of the product have been introduced, including Waffle Syrup, Maple Flavor, and Lite versions.
Today I would pass on using it, having a more refined taste, but in that long ago childhood, it still holds a place of reverence.
