Ketchup is the most widely used condiment in the US, being found in 97% of all kitchens. But according to Ketchup Wonderland it may not have originated here, and tomatoes originally were not an ingredient let alone the main ingredient.
The Original Ketchup (catsup) Did Not Contain Tomatoes
Long ago ketchup began as a sauce of anchovies, walnuts, mushrooms, and kidney beans. It is believed that the name is derived from the word koechiap or ke-tsiap, which comes from the Amoy dialect of China. Roughly translated, these words mean the brine of pickled fish or shell fish.
The original ketchup was similar to soy or Worcestershire sauce and included fish brine and various herbs and spices. The early recipe found its way to Malaysia and Indonesia, and then may have traveled with sailors to England.
During the 17th century the condiment arrived in England with the name of catsup. The British were using it to pickle anchovies and oysters.
Enter the Tomato
The tomato is native to the Andes, and early in the 1700s a group of Spanish conquistadores living in Mexico introduced the tomato to ketchup and took the idea to Europe. The early ketchup was more watery, and was sometimes called tomato soy according to About.com.
Heinz Bottles Tomato Ketchup
F. & J. Heinz Company began producing and selling ketchup in 1876. By the end of the 19th century, tomato ketchup was the primary type of ketchup sold in the U.S., and it was no longer referred to as “tomato ketchup”, but commonly called ketchup.
HEINZ HAS COMPETITION
Ketchup World
offers over 60 different types of ketchup and claims to be the biggest purveyor of ketchup in the world.
Del Monte, which claims to be 100% natural, with no preservatives, was founded in San Francisco in 1916.
Hunts which is also 100% natural and is now merged with Con Agra, came about from Joe and Will Hunt, who under their mother's early tutorage had learned to can on their father's ranch. When their mother passed in 1888 they opened a small canning business, which has grown by leaps and bounds, and was first known as The Hunt Brothers Fruit Packing Co.
Is it Ketchup, Catsup, or Catchup?
According to Food History it can be spelled any of the above ways, but if you are looking for recipes in your cook book, the first two spellings are more commonly used. But I'll save you the trouble of looking up a recipe for ketchup. I have one included for those who are overly ambitious.
Tomato Ketchup
- 10 lb Tomato; totally ripe
- Bell pepper, red; seeded
- -& chopped
- 4 lg. Onions; chopped
- 1 1/2 c Vinegar, cider
- Garlic clove; crushed
- 1 tsp Peppercorns
- 1 tsp Allspice, whole
- 1 tsp Cloves, whole
- Cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp Celery seed
- 1/2 t Mustard, dry
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne
- T Sugar, brown
- T Sugar, white
- 1 tsp Salt
Cut tomatoes in quarters and puree them in food processor along with
bell pepper. Strain puree through a coarse sieve to remove skins and
seeds. (You can dump the puree into a colander and work it through
with your hands until there is nothing left in the colander but a
dryish pulp of skins and seeds.) Now puree onions, combine with
tomato and pepper puree, and pour into a large stainless steel or
enameled kettle. Cook and stir occasionally over low heat until it is
reduced by about a third and is considerably thicker. Meanwhile put
garlic, peppercorns, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and celery seed into
the vinegar in a small pot and simmer covered for 1/2 hour to steep
spices in the vinegar. Pour about half the spiced vinegar through a
tea strainer into the thickened tomato mixture.
Stir. Also add sugar,
mustard, cayenne, and salt at this point. Here is where the tasting
comes in. You can adjust any of these ingredients to suit you. You
can add more spiced vinegar or a little plain vinegar. More or less
sugar, mustard, cayenne. Just sort of tinker with it. Cook it some
more, stirring often, until it looks like catsup should look. Taste
and adjust again. You may notice that it looks slightly curdled. Not
to worry. Hit it a lick in the food processor. Smoothes right out.
Pour into sterile jars leaving 1/8" of head space. Process in a
boiling water bath 15 minutes.
-- The Only Texas Cookbook
Linda West Eckhardt
Ketchup is one of the Few Packaged Foods without Preservatives
In the first portion of the last century, in the midst of a debate regarding benzoate, the consumer won a victory, as benzoates were removed from ketchup. Harvey Washington Wiley, the chief of the Bureau of Chemistry in the Department of Agriculture from 1833 to 1912 believed benzoates to be unsafe.
Initially, when benzoates were removed, the resulting ketchup was watery, but with the culinary genius of ketchup manufacturers, ripe tomatoes were used, rather than the previous unripe ones and the pectin from tomatoes added body to the sauce and density. More tomatoes and vinegar were added creating superior ketchup; safer, purer, and better tasting with almost no chance of spoiling.
The leader of ketchup makers to remove benzoates, improve ketchup, make it virtually spoil resistant, and offer a money-back guarantee was Henry J. Heinz.
Meet the World's Leading Expert on Ketchup
Andrew F. Smith is trained as a political scientist and knowledgeable on ketchup's early years. His specialty is the tomato and he argues that Cortez brought tomatoes to Europe from the New World, and they became a part of the world's cuisine. Although we do not think of China as a country where the tomato is popular, China is the biggest tomato producer in the world today.
Ketchup Pushes All the Primal Buttons
The human palate consists of five known palatable senses; salty, sweet, sour, bitter and umami. “Umami is the protein-y, full-bodied taste of chicken soup, or cured meat, or fish stock, or aged cheese, or mother's milk, or soy sauce, or mushroom, or seaweed, or cooked tomato.” It is an ingredient which when added to a dish gives it a “sensory heft” according to Gary Beauchamp, who heads the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. Ketchup begins at the tip of tongue, where our receptors for sweet and salty are, move to the sides of the tongue, where the sour notes are received and then reach the back of the tongue with the bitter, and umami flavor being detected. What a taste experience. No wonder we are hooked.
Ketchup has an E-Z Squirt Bottle for Kids
Not only does ketchup appeal to all our taste sensations, it comes in easy to handle bottles for the children. When children go through their finicky stages where foods are being removed from their requested choices, ketchup stands fast.
Not All Ketchups are Created Equal
Tomatoes vary; the sweet and sour ratio and spices used vary by brand. There are new flavors vying for our attention, but usually we hit upon one we like and it has found its home in our home.
