Ketchup – The Facts
The one condiment that most people have in their home is ketchup. Right along with the salt and pepper, most people cannot go without this great taste on their favorite foods. Ketchup has become a basic part of hamburgers, hotdogs, and more. Have you ever wondered exactly where the ketchup came from? Ketchup has a history just like everything else. Someone accidentally stumbled upon the taste of ketchup in the early 1700′s. This favorite condiment was not always an American favorite. In fact it was originally from China and used for a different taste in fish sauce. The fact is that one tablespoon of ketchup and no fat but it does contain 16 calories.
As you may have noticed throughout the years, when you bought ketchup you may have seen it spelled another way, Catsup. Although these are the most common spellings there are several different other spellings that Ketchup has went through over the years. No matter how it was spelled they all contained several of the same ingredients. At first the main ingredients in ketchup in the 1700′s were walnuts, kidney beans, mushrooms, and anchovies. Over the years tomatoes were eventually added to ketchup to give it a different taste. In 1876 Henry J. Heinz started making the ketchup that we all know and love today. There are several different ways that you can spice up your meals by using this one condiment. When you salt and pepper your food add ketchup too.
There has been a lot of analyzing to determine if ketchup can be good or bad for a person, especially since so many people consume it. What was eventually determined was the fact that tomatoes contained lycopene. This is a natural antioxidant that can decrease your chance of developing cancer. It was also found that lycopene could also have a more positive affect if it was found in cooked tomatoes. Unfortunately you would need to consume a lot of ketchup before you could see the affects of lycopene.
Ketchup can be used in several recipes to help give your food that extra spicy kick. We even use ketchup to enhance some of our easy crock pot recipes like this crock pot beef stew recipe and this slow cooker bratwurst recipe.
Some may prefer to make their own ketchup which can be fairly easy to do, especially if you grow your own garden. Ketchup is made from tomato concentrate. It is usually boiled down immediately after tomatoes are harvested. Then they are used throughout the year and cooked to their final product. Tomatoes used to make ketchup needs to be screened for bad tomatoes. One bad tomato can ruin the complete bottle so it’s important that they are sorted carefully.
When you run out of ketchup you can quickly make your own by taking one can of tomato sauce and slowly adding warm water until the sauce is of the right consistency. Add a little sugar to give it the taste that you like and enjoy.
Today, you need to ask for ketchup at a fast food restaurant but it is worth it. Ketchup was and continues to be the best condiment in any household around the world.
