Chapter 123: The Promotion of Maple Syrup

The fine salt processing workshop in Winterfell has produced fine salt that has already become a delicacy on the dining tables of the North's vassals.

Under Eddard's Salt Ban, the production and management rights for salt in the North fell into the hands of House Stark of Winterfell, and Stark promised to provide free table salt to the vassals of the North forever.

The vassals of the North had originally complained much about Eddard's Salt Ban, but faced with the fine salt sent from Winterfell, these vassals soon tasted the benefits.

For those accustomed to eating coarse salt, eating fine salt for the first time was simply delicious. The Northern vassals could not only obtain fine salt for free, but the other benefits brought by the Salt Ban also gradually appeared.

First, the Salt Ban allowed the vassals across the North to uncover many hidden populations.

In the past, when the sale of private salt was permitted, many people chose to live in deep mountains and old forests to avoid corvée labor and taxes, escaping the taxes and corvée labor of the castle lords.

Now, with the Salt Ban issued, the production and sale of private salt are illegal; as castles everywhere pursued smugglers and salt peddlers, they gradually discovered a large number of hidden small villages.

The populations of the lords everywhere increased, and tax revenues increased accordingly.

Winterfell took over the salt depots, salt mines, and salt pans in various places; as compensation, Eddard promised to share the profits from salt with the Northern vassals.

Now that Winterfell possesses fine salt processing technology, the profit from fine salt is dozens of times that of coarse salt; the vassals can all receive a share of the money, and the lords everywhere have enjoyed the dividends and have begun to welcome Winterfell's Salt Ban.

Besides fine salt, Eddard also possesses another delicacy for the tongue, and that is Maple Syrup.

In the Great Hall of Winterfell, Eddard and the children were tasting it drizzled over foie gras and salmon together.

At first, neither Catelyn, nor Robb, Jon, or Sansa were willing to taste the Maple Syrup; they all felt that Maple Syrup was just tree sap and a thing for wildlings.

Eddard ate with great relish, and Arya and Bran began to follow their father and taste the Maple Syrup together.

The taste of the Maple Syrup was soon approved by the whole family, and the ward and the guests liked it too.

Eddard's ward Theon used Maple Syrup to dip his beef in every day, Domeric liked to eat his milkshake with Maple Syrup, Helen Pyke liked salmon brushed with Maple Syrup, and Lady Barbrey preferred venison brushed with Maple Syrup.

Catelyn ate trout brushed with maple sauce using a knife and fork, "I didn't expect that syrup boiled from tree sap could be so delicious. Eddard, let's take the Maple Syrup to the big market in Winter Town to sell! Someone will definitely buy it."

Eddard shook his head, "Maple Syrup is very precious, I don't intend to sell it cheaply; the people of Winter Town cannot afford it."

Because Maple Syrup needs to be extracted from sugar maple trees that are forty years old, the yield is limited. Eddard specifically dispatched foresters into the Wolfswood to protect the sugar maple trees. Sugar maple trees only grow in cold regions, which means there will be no sugar maple trees south of the Neck, and even if the wildlings beyond the Wall had sugar maple trees, they wouldn't know how to boil Maple Syrup; the North will become an important production area for Maple Syrup.

If Maple Syrup were sold in Winter Town, Eddard estimated that few people would be willing to spend a high price to buy it. Even worse, many people would realize the value of Maple Syrup and turn to secretly collecting sap from sugar maple trees in the Wolfswood; by then, it would be as impossible to stop as poaching.

This dictates that Maple Syrup can only be a luxury item; Eddard has set a high price for Maple Syrup, and nobles, wealthy merchants, the Church, and the Archons and governors of the Free Cities are Eddard's target customers.

Maple Syrup must be promoted.

Eddard told Catelyn, "Catelyn, recently your father, old Lord Hoster, has been in increasingly poor health; we can send a barrel of Maple Syrup to Riverrun for your father and Edmure Tully to taste."

Catelyn smiled, "My father will like it, and Edmure Tully will love it to madness. Edmure Tully often hangs out with Marq Piper, Karyl Vance, and those people; usually, he only knows how to eat, drink, and have fun."

Once the Maple Syrup arrives at Riverrun, it will inevitably spread among the nobles of the Riverlands; by then, if the nobles of the Riverlands—Seagard, The Twins, Maidenpool, Harrenhal, and Stone Hedge—want to taste Maple Syrup, they will have no choice but to pay.

Lady Barbrey sipped some Blue Noble, "Why not send the Maple Syrup to White Harbor for the Merman Lord to taste? Weiman Mandele Bojue is very particular about food; White Harbor has so many ships from the Seven Kingdoms and the Free Cities, Maple Syrup can gain spread through White Harbor."

Eddard nodded, "I will send someone to deliver it to Lord Weiman immediately. I also want to send a few barrels to Jon Arryn in King's Landing, King Robert Baratheon, and the High Septon at Baelor's Sept; Robert likes fine food, and the nobles and wealthy merchants across the country will all be watching the dining tables of the King, the High Septon, and the Hand of the King. It's just a pity that Jon Arryn is in King's Landing and not at the Eyrie, otherwise he could help us recommend the Maple Syrup to the nobles of the Vale."

Catelyn said, "My uncle Brynden serves as a Knight of the Bloody Gate in the Vale of Arryn; he knows many nobles of the Vale, why not send some Maple Syrup to Uncle Brynden?"

The Bloody Gate guards the main road of the Vale, and the nobles of the Vale often go in and out of the Bloody Gate; "Blackfish" Brynden is therefore very familiar with many of the nobles of the Vale.

Robb leaned over, "Father, Maester Luwin comes from House Shett of Gulltown; Gulltown is the only city and the largest port in the Vale, why not let Maester Luwin send some Maple Syrup to House Shett and House Grafton in Gulltown?"

Eddard praised, "Robb, your idea is very good." Catelyn smiled and looked triumphantly at the bastard Jon Snow standing to the side.

Jon Snow avoided Catelyn's gaze and said in a low voice, "Lord Stark, our financial advisor Klar and the Water Dancer Syrio Forel both come from Braavos; why not use them to gift some Maple Syrup to the Sealord and friends of the Iron Bank? Through them, this delicacy, Maple Syrup, will become famous."

Eddard nodded slightly, "Jon, those who deal with the Sealord and the Iron Bank are either rich or noble; your idea is excellent."

Domeric leaned forward, "Lord Eddard, such a delicacy as Maple Syrup should be sent to Oldtown to let House Hightower on the Hightower, the Archmaesters of the Conclave in Oldtown, and the Septons of the Starry Sept taste it. Oldtown is the largest port in Westeros and even more so the cultural center of Westeros."

"Maester Luwin knows many people in Oldtown, why not let him write a letter to the Citadel and send it to House Hightower and the Starry Sept through the Citadel. Once Maple Syrup spreads in Oldtown, then the nobles of the Reach in Highgarden, Goldengrove, Brightwater Keep, and Horn Hill will soon have Maple Syrup on their tables too."

Eddard agreed, "The Reach is overflowing with wealth; I believe the nobles and wealthy merchants there will be willing to spend money on Maple Syrup."

Theon said unconvinced, "Although our Iron Islands are poor, we can still afford Maple Syrup. Lord Eddard, why not send the Maple Syrup to Pyke and let my father help promote it?"

Helen Pyke mocked, "Theon, you've been away too long; don't you understand the ironborn anymore? The ironborn pay the 'Iron Price'! If they fall in love with Maple Syrup, they will only seize it; counting on them to spend money is impossible!"

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(End of chapter)