One world under ketchup: over 840 million bottles are sold each year - includes recipe

Vegetarian Times, July, 1997 by Andrea Mather

Ah, Ketchup. Few foodstuffs seem to have enjoyed the vast and long-standing popularity of this sauce. While we tend to think of ketchup as merely a modern-day, tomato-based, American condiment for burgers and fries, ketchup has been around in some form since the 17th century and is actually a term for an "extract of single product with spices added." And it's a secret ingredient in author and vegetarian Andrew Smith's favorite Veggie "Sausage," Peppers and Onions dish (a recipe created by Tatiana Kling, Smith's wife).

Smith, a culinary historian and author, has completed an extensive study of the red and nonred stuff, Pure Ketchup: A History of America's National Condiment, with Recipes (University of South Carolina Press, 1996). If you can't imagine what would motivate someone to write an entire tome about ketchup, you haven't spent time with Smith. "Ketchup's history contained the elements of a good story: exotic and mysterious beginnings, unusual and colorful characters, evil adulterators and contaminators, strong-willed competitors and captains of industry, well-intentioned and high-minded government regulators, and finally, die relentless quest for global stardom and its final triumph," says Smith.

Ketchup made its Western debut in Britain -- no doubt after travelers came home from trips to Southeast Asia and raved about the sauce. While the ketchup these lucky few enjoyed featured soybeans and was more akin to soy sauce than Heinz 57, the British improvised savory mushroom and walnut versions and added them to dishes for their respective flavors. During the mid- 18th century, Americans created the first tomato-based ketchups. After the Civil War, canned foods in general and canned tomatoes in particular entered the American marketplace. Naturally, ketchup manufacturing served as a valuable sideline.

Just how many other kinds of ketchup have cooks invented? Vegetarian choices include both savory and slightly sweet options: cherry, cranberry, Creole, cucumber, currant, damson plum, elderberry, gooseberry, grape, kidney bean, lemon, double mushroom, celery, peach, red or green pepper, pimento, raspberry, rum pudding (1817 recipe), squash, green tomato and wine. Smith includes recipes for these ketchups in his book.

In addition to spreading the word about the varieties of ketchup, Smith is often asked to settle the debate about the spellings of ketchup, catsup or catchup. Smith says even just a few decades ago, manufacturers preferred the catsup spelling. However, he determined that the most widely accepted, modern-day spelling is, in fact, ketchup.

However you spell it, tomato ketchup is the king of world sauces. "Worldwide over 840 million 14-ounce bottles are sold annually," says Smith. The Japanese use it on spaghetti, cabbage rolls and omelets while Greeks, the Dutch and Venezuelans use it on pasta. Smith enjoys tomato ketchup and its other incarnations including banana, on nearly everything from stir-fried tofu to veggies and even waffles.

Apricot Ketchup

Fellow ketchup enthusiast David Page of home Restaurant and Drovers Tap Room in New York City offers one of his favorite recipes.

1 1/2 cup dried apricots
3/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup water
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne
1/8 tsp. turmeric
1 Tbs. chopped shallots.