Sunday's Food

Ketchup anyone?

Ketchup (also spelled catsup or catchup), also known as tomato ketchup, tomato sauce, red sauce, Tommy sauce, Tommy K, or dead horse is an American tradition.

What exactly is ketchup? Have you ever asked yourself, "What's in the bottle so readily enjoyed by kids?" According to Wikipedia: The ingredients in a typical modern ketchup are tomato concentrate, spirit vinegar, corn syrup or other sugar, salt, spice and herb extracts (including celery), spice and garlic powder Allspice, cloves, cinnamon, onion, and other vegetables may be included.

Tomato Ketchup History

By 1801 a recipe for tomato ketchup was printed in an American cookbook, the Sugar House Book. James Mease published another recipe in 1812. In 1824 a ketchup recipe appeared in The Virginia Housewife, an influential 19th-century cookbook written by Mary Randolph, Thomas Jefferson's cousin.

As the century progressed, tomato ketchup began its ascent in popularity in the United States, influenced by the American enthusiasm for tomatoes. Tomato ketchup was sold locally by farmers. A man named Jonas Yerks (or Yerkes) is believed to have been the first man to make tomato ketchup a national phenomenon. By 1837 he had produced and distributed the condiment nationally. Shortly thereafter, other companies followed suit. F. & J. Heinz launched their tomato ketchup in 1876. Heinz tomato ketchup was advertised: "Blessed relief for Mother and the other women in the household!"

Americans have always had a love affair with the tomato. There are many people who can't do without a tomato at least once a day. You find them everywhere and made into just about anything. They are pretty, nutritious and a welcome addition to just about anything but ketchup, but according to Wikipedia:

Ketchup has been shown to provide significant health benefits but many argue that these benefits are offset by the food's salt and sugar content. Ketchup has been found to be a beneficial source of lycopene, an antioxidant which may help prevent some forms of cancer. This is particularly true of the organic brands of ketchup. In fact, organic brands were found to contain three times as much lycopene as non-organic brands. Ketchup, much like marinara sauce and other cooked tomato foods, yields higher levels of lycopene per serving because cooking makes lycopene in tomatoes more bio-available.

So why does something made with a ton of tomatoes continue to take it on the nose?

Perhaps because American ketchup has come to be associated with something socially unacceptable. Has ketchup become a silent struggle between the classes a little like bad table wine? I can remember a dozen lectures from my mother on table wine. She was bound and determined that I would drink the right wine. Some wines were acceptable, she would say, and some were not. It didn't matter what you liked; it only mattered what the right people were drinking. I never quite bought those right wines. I drink floor wine - a commonly used euphemism by my children for the gallon variety we park on the floor of the kitchen. I use wine for just about everything I do in the kitchen.

My mother drank Pinot Gresio which to me tastes like pino gasolino. It's really a matter of taste just like a lot of other things.

One problem with ketchup might be the sugar content. It's the third ingredient just after vinegar. Yet ketchup has no more sugar per tablespoon than store bought yogurt.

One of my favorite dishes I make is one packed with ketchup and called Piggie Pie. Men love this dish! The kids love it too, and I had no idea until I researched ketchup that the meal is filled with lycopene.

The recipe is: equal amounts of brown sugar, ketchup and fruit juice boiled as a barbecue sauce for pork.

Ketchup is a marvelous kitchen helper. Added to pot roast, stew, crock pots, meatloaf, barbecue sauces and marinades, ketchup helps break down meat and actually helps make a difficult cut of meat a whole lot easier to cook. As an ingredient in homemade salad dressing, ketchup is the one ingredient that will change a tasteless, overbearing mess into a palatable substance nearly every single time.

Ketchup is loved by children and can actually increase a child's desire to eat. So go ahead and dip, pour, glop and dab - ketchup is a part of Americana that isn't going to go away, and we should be grateful because ketchup is a many splendored thing!