And like the sun rises in the east, ketchup has its origins on eastern shores...
Ketchup, the condiment, is now an American institution. However, ketchup has its origins in the Far East or what used to be called the Orient. The word ketchup derives from a Chinese word for a pickled fish sauce originating in Fujian province. Over 500 years ago, Chinese fisherman were introduced to "fish sauce" or nuoc mam by the people of modern day Cambodia and Vietnam. The Chinese called it ke-tchup. As it travelled west, to Indonesia, Malaysia it morphed and evolved based on local tastes and ingredients. British and Dutch sailors arrived to Southeast Asia in the 1600s and developed a taste for "fish sauce."
Eventually, it reached England where cooks tried to recreate the sauce. It was even made with mushroom and walnuts. Jane Austen was a fan of walnut ketchup. The first recipe to call for tomatoes was in The Sugar House Book by Sandy Addison and published 1801. It called for squeezing tomatoes, boiling, then salting them. Additional spices such as mace, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and pepper were thrown into the mix.
Ketchup, the condiment, is now an American institution. However, ketchup has its origins in the Far East or what used to be called the Orient. The word ketchup derives from a Chinese word for a pickled fish sauce originating in Fujian province. Over 500 years ago, Chinese fisherman were introduced to "fish sauce" or nuoc mam by the people of modern day Cambodia and Vietnam. The Chinese called it ke-tchup. As it travelled west, to Indonesia, Malaysia it morphed and evolved based on local tastes and ingredients. British and Dutch sailors arrived to Southeast Asia in the 1600s and developed a taste for "fish sauce."
Eventually, it reached England where cooks tried to recreate the sauce. It was even made with mushroom and walnuts. Jane Austen was a fan of walnut ketchup. The first recipe to call for tomatoes was in The Sugar House Book by Sandy Addison and published 1801. It called for squeezing tomatoes, boiling, then salting them. Additional spices such as mace, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and pepper were thrown into the mix.
Modern tomato ketchup was revolutionized by F. & J.Heinz Company. First off, Heinz used ripe tomatoes, where other commercially
available ketchups were made from unripe tomatoes and included dangerous chemical preservatives. Ripe tomatoes have natural
preservatives. The inclusion of sugar and vinegar further increased the shelf
life of their products. Prior to this ketchup had a reputation for going bad quickly. Think about your own fridge...when's the last time you checked the date on that bottle of ketchup in there? A bottle of ketchup is in the average household's fridge for over two years before being replaced.
Check out this great tasting Amish Tomato Ketchup recipe
from BigOven.com - https://www.bigoven.com/recipe/amish-tomato-ketchup/18681
