Wonder of the Day #929
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— Food
Have You Ever Wondered...
- Is it catsup or ketchup?
- How long has ketchup been around?
- Can you make homemade ketchup?
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- allspice,
- bottle,
- brined,
- catchup,
- catsup,
- china,
- condiment,
- fish,
- food,
- french fries,
- H.J. Heinz Company,
- hamburger,
- hot dog,
- Indonesia,
- ingredient,
- Jonathon Swift,
- ke-chiap,
- ketchup,
- kicap,
- language,
- manufacturer,
- meatloaf,
- mustard,
- pickle,
- pickled,
- refrigerator,
- salt,
- sauce,
- tomato,
- vinegar
From hamburgers and French fries to hot dogs and meatloaf, there's one condiment that you'll find in just about every refrigerator around the country. What are we talking about? Ketchup, of course! Or is it catsup?
If you look in the condiment section at your local grocery store, you might find this popular tomato-based sauce labeled as either “ketchup" or “catsup." So which is it?
You can actually call the substance by either name, as there's no difference between ketchup and catsup. They're just two different terms for the same thing.
Ketchup has been around a long time. The name probably comes from ke-chiap (sometimes written ke-tsiap), which was a pickled fish sauce popular in China. European traders loved the sauce and brought it west with them in the 17th century.
Others believe the name may have come from Indonesia, where kicap (or kecap or ketjap) was a sauce made of brined shellfish, herbs and spices. Whatever the exact origin of the term, Europeans began calling their version of the sauce “ketchup" as early as 1711.
The alternative spelling — catsup — popped up in a Jonathon Swift poem in 1730. For many years, you could also find the sauce called “catchup" in many places.
It would be another 70 years or so before the sauce recipe would incorporate tomatoes and resemble the condiment we know today. In the early 1800s, the tomato-based version of the sauce quickly became popular in the United States.
At first, it was made primarily by local farmers. By 1837, though, at least one company was making ketchup and distributing it around the nation.
The H.J. Heinz Company didn't start producing the sauce until 1876. The company originally called it catsup, but soon switched to ketchup to stand out. Today, ketchup is the standard, while catsup is still used occasionally in the southern U.S.
Today, most ketchup — or catsup — contains the same basic ingredients: tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, salt, allspice, cloves and cinnamon. Manufacturers vary their recipes by adding vegetables, such as onions and celery, as well as other spices, including pepper and garlic.
Wonder What's Next?
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Try It Out
Do you like ketchup? Or do you prefer catsup? Or does it really matter as long as you have that red, sweet, tangy sauce to put on your French fries? Enjoy extending your learning about ketchup — or catsup! — as you check out one or more of the following activities with a friend or family member:
- Field trip time! Ask an adult to take you to a grocery store to check out the wide variety of ketchup on the shelves. Look through the bottles. Do you see both ketchup and catsup? Or is it just one or the other? Other than size and price, how do the varieties of ketchup differ? Do certain brands claim to taste better or have special ingredients? Pick out a bottle or two of ketchup to purchase and take home with you. You'll need it for the next activity!
- Get a bottle of ketchup out of your refrigerator, or open one or more of the bottle you bought at the store recently. Do your own blind taste test. Get some French fries or hot dogs and try them with different kinds of ketchup. Which brand do you prefer? Check out the labels on the different bottles. How healthy is ketchup? What ingredients are included? How many calories are in a single serving? How big is that serving? How much sugar is in your bottle of ketchup? Have fun learning more about one of the best condiments out there!
- Up for a challenge? If your home is like most homes in America, you probably have at least one bottle of ketchup — or catsup — in the refrigerator. Did you know you can make your own homemade ketchup, though? It's true! Grab a friend or family member and check out the recipes below. Choose one to try and then check the list of ingredients in case you need to go to the store for a few supplies before you head to the kitchen to concoct your own homemade condiment!
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Wonder Words
- version
- pickled
- brined
- allspice
- ketchup
- catsup
- resemble
- refrigerator
- producing
- manufacturer
- tangy
- concoct
- condiment
- ingredient
- vinegar
- alternative
- incorporate
- distributing
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