Knowing about Tomato Ketchup is quite normal, especially when it is a household staple for almost everyone! Do you wonder where it all started? Imagine those crunchy potatoes or fried dishes with no sauce to dip into? Frankly, I can only consider eating fish and chips with sauce!
When do you think the regular practice of using sauce with fast food started? Do you wonder about the past of Ketchup and explore some surprising facts? Please read the article to learn more about the obscurity of sauce and its history.
Asian Origin Of Ketchup!
Did you know that a Guinness World Record was made by a Japanese man called Hikaru Nukasone for the farthest ketchup squirting distance in 1998? The space he covered by spraying a stream of Ketchup was more than 9 meters or 30 feet and 9 inches!
Let me tell you the origin of Ketchup as we trace it back to the culture where it was first used! Various cultures use and eat fermented brine or fish as a sauce. Chinese people know these sauces as “Ketchup” or “Koe-cheap” and make them with spices and pickled fish!
The traders brought the sauce to the Malay Archipelago for the first time, which is how the concept of sauce originated. It was from the Archipelago that the European colonists encountered the sauce and accordingly carried it as a concept and a practice in their home countries.
Did You Know That Once Upon A Time People Used Ketchup As Medicine!
The journey of Ketchup from being a medicinal sauce to becoming a condiment for cooking and eating food is quite interesting! It is used as an essential part of many cultures and has become an integral part of various dinners across the world.
In this article, you will learn a lot about how Ketchup evolved from earlier days to the way it is used in modern days! It also encouraged many trends, such as tomato pills used as medicine. However, it did not work for long, considering there are many side effects of tomatoes!
Considered initially as a fish sauce, the history of Ketchup is a little obscure, yet fermentation is a significant part of the history and the culture. Originally, it had a pungent smell, salty taste, and texture. It was quite easy to consider Ketchup was once sold as a medicine!
Evolution Of Ketchup!
You will be shocked that tomatoes were not a part of the original ingredients list to manufacture Ketchup! Before the 18th century, tomatoes were less popular and used in recipes that much. In the early days, ketchup recipes revolved around fruits, vegetables, oysters, walnuts, and mushrooms.
The sauce was made by boiling a half pound of anchovies and two quarts of stale beer, and later, it was fermented! It was then cooled down to consume as a sauce. The English sailors took this recipe from China and implemented many experiments.
In 1812, the version of tomato into Ketchup was finally invented by an American, James Mease! Initially, tomato was not a part of the recipe, but later, when it emerged as a superfood, along with the consideration that it might be an aphrodisiac food was used to invent tomato-based Ketchup.
Recipe Of Ketchup!
People used to highlight tomatoes as love apples, while the recipe also includes hints of alcohol! Ripe tomatoes were utilized along with brown sugar, various spices, and salt, and distilled vinegar was the recipe that finally became popular. What was Ketchup originally used for?
The recipe is integral to the version of tomato ketchup used by Heinz! The real tomato ketchup recipe has been registered worldwide. Tomatoes are known to have lycopene, pectin, and other beneficial nutrients. However, there are disadvantages to using tomatoes in the sauce.
You might have rheumatism, jaundice, indigestion, and diarrhea if you consume tomatoes excessively! Imagine consuming the tomato pill every day as medicine and acquiring these disorders. Yes, a step closer to death! Read further about the pill of the tomato!
The Pill Of Tomato Craze…
Yes, tomatoes are a significant ingredient of Ketchup, but other elements make It a ketchup! Over the years, it has been evaluated to learn that tomatoes are one of the best sources of nutrients such as lycopene. It is an antioxidant with multiple health benefits.
People in the early days considered Ketchup to have medical benefits! Imagine today you are consuming one teaspoon of Ketchup every day in the morning. I know the idea is both funny and scary. The concept of Ketchup as medicine came from traditional Chinese medicine, where fermented food was known to have health benefits.
Overall, health and digestion were considered to be cured with fermented food items and products as per the Chinese culture. Based on these beliefs, some European doctors, such as Dr. John Cook Bennett, also invented ketchup tablets to cure scurvy disorder; however, they did not work effectively!
A Medicine Or Condiment?
It was Henry J. Heinz who introduced packaged Ketchup by revolutionizing the iconic glass bottle in the 1880s! Tomato sauce or Ketchup was initially considered a product for a different purpose, but Heinz brought a completely different outlook to the product.
The design that Heinz introduced was about making the Ketchup even and smooth! This is for the convenience of the consumers, but of course, you have to smack the glass bottle a little or shake it for the red liquid to come out!
Ketchup is high in salt and sugar, so it is quite a far-fetched concept when it comes to being considered a medicine. Please use it in moderation! Spanish conquistadores brought tomatoes to Europe in the 16th century; thus, tomatoes became a staple of Italian cuisine.
Finishing Off…
Now that you have read about Ketchup as a medicine used in ancient times, especially in European cultures, you must wonder how it all resolved. When traveling around the world, European individuals came across the fermented concept of sauce in Chinese culture.
The recipe was then modified multiple times to acquire the effective consistency of the product! So, what do you think about Ketchup being a food condiment, and, at one point, it was considered medication?
Comment below about your favorite dish that you would like to have with Ketchup!
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