By Dr. Loreto Nemi
History of Ketchup
Contrary to what one might think, ketchup is not a product originating in the United States but its origins are oriental.
" Ketchup " is a strange word whose origin has not yet been ascertained by linguists.
Some link it to the French escabeche which, despite sounding completely different, seems to be the name of a marinade or a cooking sauce. Others think it derives from the Chinese ketsiap or kecap, from the Malay and Indonesian language, which refers to a brine made from fermented fish mainly based on anchovies. According to a seventeenth-century dictionary, however, catchup is a strong sauce typical of eastern India (in some areas of the US, ketchup is still spelled "catsup" or "catchup").
The best definition is perhaps that given by the 1831 edition of the "Domestic Chemist", according to which it is a sauce whose name can be pronounced by anyone but written by anyone.
It was around 1600, thanks to English and Dutch sailors that this sauce also became known in Europe, and several cooks began to work it, personalize it, using various ingredients that were rather diversified, such as nuts, lemon, mushrooms, oysters, etc.
The use of tomatoes in the composition of the sauce, apparently dates back to about a hundred years later, by this time of American industries.
In 1812, the first Tomato ketchup was produced by James Mease of Philadelfia who marketed the product.
As early as 1801, however, a cookbook was published on the American market that contained a recipe for this sauce, The Sugar House Book, a cookbook.
In 1824 a ketchup recipe was written in another cookbook by Mary Randolph .
The growing appreciation of the American people towards tomatoes found a wide response, and the sauce was often sold by peasants who took care of the local production of the product.
It was the H. & J. Heinz 1 Company who coined the slogan on the packaging of the product sold already on a national scale: Blessed relief for Mother and the other women in the household!
Practically a relief for the housewives and women who took care of cooking, being able to find a ready-made sauce that could save time in their culinary preparations.
In the twentieth century, ketchup was in the authorities' debate about the use of sodium benzoate3 as a preservative, an additive that was then removed from production, as it was considered toxic. The recipe was therefore modified, increasing the amount of tomato and adding vinegar to mitigate the exaltation of sweetness due to the elimination of sodium benzoate, which - in addition to acting as a preservative - was able to determine a very specific flavor to the sauce.
In the United States, the FDA has prohibited the use of the term ketchup on products that do not comply with the production guidelines. In fact, by law ketchup can be thickened only with whole tomatoes and the viscosity of the sauce must fall within a narrow reference range. The ingredients of Ketchup are also strictly controlled.
Video Recipe - Homemade Ketchup
Good ketchup right? Irresistible with chips!
Yes, but when we look at the label of some products, the doubts begin: preservatives, thickeners, gelling agents and other additives. Is it better then to prepare it at home? Of course yes! Here is the video recipe.
Homemade ketchup
X Problems with video playback? Reload from YouTube Go to Video Page Go to Video Recipes Section Watch the video on youtube3 Sodium Benzoate or Benzoic acid (E210) and its Na, K, Ca salts are preservatives added to ketchup due to their antimicrobial action. There are studies by the American FDA according to which, in particular conditions, in the presence of ascorbic acid traces of benzene, a known carcinogen, can form.
