In China it was known as kê-chiap, in Malaysia as kĕchap, and in England as ketchup; but when the English exported it to the US they decided to call it catsup (goodness knows why).
Ketchup is made from 3 basic ingredients; tomatoes, vinegar, and sugar, with a few spices thrown in for good measure. So, other than the sugar, it's nowt but goodies.
Imagine your fish-finger sandwich without ketchup; no no no! Imagine your local 'greasy spoon' without that ghastly tomato shaped plastic dispenser on the table. Imagine a meal at 'McGrub-u-like' without tear-open sachets of ketchup in-amongst the mayo, salt, and pepper.
I only ever buy one brand (as I'm sure most people do); its container being of such an iconic design, that my version (above) didn't even require the brand name.
Who could eat a sausage sandwich without it?
ReplyDeleteOr a plate of chips, preferably with a splodge of mayo as well - which we now prefer to salt and vinegar.
ReplyDeleteSalt and vinegar are both in ketchup anyway!
DeleteFish and chips just have to have it….oh and scrambled egg, and bacon sandwich, etc etc. Apparently as a kid I had to have it on everything !
ReplyDeleteScotch egg would almost be eatable with it too! ( see " Going Gently" )
ReplyDeleteDon't encourage him; he's 'supposed' to be on a diet!
DeleteThey call it "Red Sauce" here in Ireland.
ReplyDeleteSounds logical. HP is known as 'Brown Sauce' in England (but I wouldn't recommend it).
DeleteMcDonald's just announced that they are phasing out Heinz Ketchup due to the fact that it has a new CEO...the former big cheese of Burger King.
ReplyDeleteIf I'd ever been there, I'd be able to say "I'm never going again"; but I haven't. That's worrying.
DeleteYou know ...I was thinking the very same thing just the other night!!
ReplyDeleteWe had sandwich night with friends....build your own ..hot cold...all sorts of toppings...one friend made his now family famous french fried potatoes...perfectly spiced and piping hot.....and as I dipped one into the ketchup ....I thought!!! This is delicious!! absolutely delicious...just the right amount of sweet to vinegar.......
too bad it's gotten such a bad rap!!
An unsung hero of gastro-land.
DeleteKetchup - one of the greatest inventions OF ALL TIME.
ReplyDelete"There's no other kind once you've tasted ........" Honestly, I can't imagine life without ketchup. Can you imagine a toasted meatloaf sandwich without ketchup squeezing out from between those extra thick slices of multigrain bread? Some food is simply made to hold ketchup and for no other reason.
ReplyDeleteI love a dollop of Heinz Tomato Ketchup and, a little bit in some pasta sauces and slow cooked casseroles and stews adds a little something too ..... it's a bit like adding an anchovie ..... you don't know it's in there but it adds flavour...... and, if you put a penny in some, it comes up like new { goodness knows what it does to your insides !! } I can't HP Brown Sauce ..... it does nothing for me. XXXX
ReplyDeleteRonald Reagan decided that ketchup could be counted as a vegetable in American school dinners!
ReplyDeleteI always knew there must have been a good reason for voting him in!
DeleteAm loving the sign AND the beret
ReplyDeleteI made the giant bottle as a kitchen 'artifact', but I've not yet found a use for it. Cheese board, maybe?
DeleteOne thing there is no shortage of here is tomatoes. I have tried so many times to make my own tom sauce but have failed miserably each time!
ReplyDeleteHasn't Marcia got some in the shop?
DeleteWe eat the same brand of ketchup! (and see, I spelled it properly!) I knew you had good taste!!
ReplyDeleteCatsup? I read that quickly and thought it said catsick!
ReplyDeleteAlso echo that ketchup added to casserole adds something.
Turn the bottle shape into a clock. drill a hole in the middle and then a clock part
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HP sauce is now made in Holland isn't it?
I am not a big fan of ketchup. I use it sparingly, much preferring mustard as my condiment of choice. Having said that, there are a couple things that do need ketchup in my world. My mother's meatloaf recipe called for a topping of ketchup mixed with Lea and Perrin's, and on fried seafood, i use cocktail sauce rather than tartar sauce (cocktail sauce is a mixture of ketchup and horseradish).
ReplyDeleteThe earliest versions of ketchup were fermented rather than adding sugar and more of a fish sauce. It was only years later, across the Pond when Americans added tomatoes from Mexico that tomato ketchup was made.
I got that info from the interesting book "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon. The recipe she includes for ketchup has tomatoes, whey (for the lacto-fermentation), sea salt, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, garlic, and fish sauce.
As for French fries/chips/frites, i like them best with a little salt or sometimes with malt vinegar. I give the extra ketchup packets i always seem to get to my ketchup-loving friends, and we're all happy.
I must confess, the only thing I eat with ketchup is grilled cheese sandwiches! I hated it as a child, too. Go figure!
ReplyDelete