ketching up on the facts

It’s safe to say the majority of us probably consumed at least one thing in common sometime over the past six weeks: tomato ketchup. (And yes, that “tomato” was a fairly important specification at one point.)

Most ketchup historians, I was amazed to learn (at Wikipedia), classify the origin of the term and the product as either Chinese or Malaysian. The terms “ke-stiap” and “kchap” referred to a pickled fishy sauce in the 1500s. The Dutch and other explorers brought it back home to Europe where the Dutch called it “ketjap.” It makes more sense now why it might be called “catsup,” too.

As time passed the word referred generally to sauce. Some ketchups were made of mushrooms, cucumbers, kidney beans, walnuts or anchovies. Yum yum.

In either England or the U.S., a tomato ketchup materialized by 1800, when the first recipes for it have been found. Those recipes were relatively salty, and the tomato was still rare (and sometimes considered poisonous) back then.

Tomato ketchup only became more and more popular throughout that century. Apparently, some of those early ketchups were pretty watery because they were made of unripe tomatoes, which have less pectin. They were also less likely to contain vinegar. That has remained true of ketchup in most other English-speaking countries, where it is more of a tomato paste.

The most common ingredients in American ketchup today are tomatoes, vinegar, salt, sugar, allspice, cloves and cinnamon.

Ketchup has, for most of its life, been stored in – insert groan here – glass bottles. Scientists tell us that ketchup is a “thixotropic” fluid – which, for all practical purposes, means it doesn’t pour too well.

Next time you’re at a restaurant with one of those irritating glass bottles of the red stuff, try this: Turn the bottle upside down (top on, please) and give it a good couple taps on the neck with your index and middle fingers. Specifically, some caterers say, tap a Heinz 57 on the 57 circle. If you care to know, it helps flow by correcting the G-forces. I’ll just stick with my plastic bottle stored upside-down, thanks.

In 1981, the government considered classifying ketchup as a vegetable for economic reasons in the school lunch program.

Teresa Heinz Kerry, is, yes, tied genealogically to the ketchup company. One of my favorite ketchup books, kids of all ages, is “Mrs. Pig’s Bulk Buy.” It’s about a family of piglets who coat everything they eat with ketchup.