Ketchup

Catsup: No, not a material made by throwing felines toward the ceiling.

Catchup: No, not something you do when you are lagging behind.

Katchop: No, not what a martial artist does when his cat bothers him.

These three words are all acceptable spellings of the popular condiment found in 97 percent of American kitchens. Tomato ketchup is by far the most popular of the ketchup family and is the most popular in almost every developed country in the world. Nearly everyone likes ketchup, although not everyone agrees on what to put it on. President Nixon covered his cottage cheese with it, the Japanese now eat it on rice, and one ice cream manufacturer allegedly once tried to produce a ketchup ice cream. But how did this condiment become so popular? Let's take a look at the history of this viscous, red substance that has changed the way people think of food.

History of Ketchup

The word ketchup is thought to be derived from the Chinese ke-tsiap, a pickled fish sauce that had a savoury taste, flavoured by brine spices and fish. It travelled from China to Malaysia where it became kechap, then to Indonesia where it was ketjap. 17th-Century Dutch and English sailors discovered the delights of this fishy sauce and brought it back with them to the west. It was akin to a soy or Worcestershire sauce, but gradually went through various changes. British alternatives included the brine of pickled mushrooms (the favourite, which would often be clear and very thin), anchovies, oysters, and walnuts. These catsups were usually tart. The most notable was the addition of tomatoes in the 1700s.1