The red tangy tomato sauce has become a household staple all over the world and is dubbed America’s favourite condiment, second only to mayonnaise and has long rich history dating back to the 17th century.
The origins of the ketchup can be traced back to Asian fermented sauces, the earliest known of which dates back to 300 B.C. During the 17th century in China, a variant of fermented sauces made from fish such as shellfish, was pickled and enjoyed as a condiment, it was known as kechiap or koechiap. Traders introduced this sauce to the neighboring countries of Vietnam, Indonesia and the Malay states, the present day Malaysia and Singapore, where it was known as kecap or kicap. English colonialists settled in Malay states got to taste these sauces, and brought it with them to their homecountry.
The Oxford dictionary of 1699, defines catchup as a sauce from the high East Asia. in Britain, the ketchup was made using mushrooms, or a variety of ingredients including lemon, celery, oysters, walnut, nutmeg, or cinnamon. A cookbook from 1742, contains a recipe of making ketchup from mushrooms, fish and shallots.
Mushroom ketchup gained popularity in 18th century Britain, along with oyster and walnut ketchup. Mushroom ketchup was a favourite of Jane Austen, the famous English author. The ketchup was added in soups, meat and a variety of dishes. From Britain, the ketchup reached its Thirteen colonies of America, the earliest know recipe dated to 1770, found in a cookbook, from Charleston, South Carolina, written by Harriot Pinckney Horry, he suggests adding eggs to clarify the mixture, there is also a recipe of walnut ketchup given in the book. Similar mushroom and walnut ketchup recipes are found in the 1788 cookbook, The English Art of Cookery by Richard Briggs.
The early versions of ketchup were devoid of tomato because it was believed that tomatoes caused poisoning, an assumption that was strengthened by the mixing of acid from tomatoes with the lead pewter plate, while eating, the led to poisoning. Hence the earlier versions were made from a variety of ingredients such as mushrooms, oysters, walnuts and fish, particularly anchovies.
One recipe from the 18th century calls for the use of 100 oysters in order to make oyster ketchup. Another recipe, known as the prince of Wales, was made by mixing elderberries and anchovies. However, anchovies were completely dropped from ketchup recipes by 1850s.
Tomatoes began to be used in ketchup recipes in America, because the public found it safer to consume a mixture of tomato pulp with vinegar, sugar and other ingredients than actually consuming tomatoes. The first known recipe was devised by the horticulturist James Mease in 1812, who referred to tomatoes as love apples. Another recipe containing tomatoes is found in the 1824 cookbook, The Virginia Housewife, written by Mary Randolph, the cousin of Thomas Jefferson.
Jonas Yerkes is credited with selling tomato ketchup in glass bottles, by 1837, he had distributed it all over the country. Preservation was a big issue during the early stage of tomato ketchup manufacturing, manufacturers added coal tar, to give it a distinct red colour, or used sodium benzoate, which raised health concerns from consumers, also the storage conditions of tomato pulp by many manufacturers was unhygienic leading to the growth of bacteria.
In order to address this issue, F & J Heinz, introduced their version of ketchup in 1876, which was marketed as preservative free and a blessed relief for the mother and the other women of the household. J Heinz was convinced that the consumers did not want chemicals in their products. This decision was also influenced by the ongoing concern of using sodium benzoate as a preservative, which was known to be harmful and thus was fiercely opposed by Harvey Washington Wiley. Katherine Bitting proved in 1906 that using vinegar and sugar in adequate quantities helped preserve ketchup, without using preservatives. All these developments lead to the popularity of Heinz Ketchup, which recorded nearly five million sales.
Another country has a slightly different history of ketchup, in Philippines, the popular version of ketchup is made with banana, with red colour added to it and is enjoyed with tortang talong, an eggplant omelet, spaghetti and fried chicken. The popularity of this ketchup is credited to Magdala V Francisco, who mass produced it in 1942, leading it to becoming a household staple in the country. Though its invention is credited to Maria Orosa, a famous food chemist, who invented banana ketchup by mixing mashed banana with vinegar and spices, in order to make Philippines self sufficient as well as decrease its dependence on tomato imports.
Whether its made with mushrooms, banana or tomatoes, ketchup has established its place in the hearts of consumers worldwide as a beloved condiment with a distinct taste and flavor.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushroom_ketchup
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/how-was-ketchup-invented
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/filipino-style-banana-ketchup-3537284
Historia 