Don't get left behind - talking about a tomato-based condiment

[Torzelbaum]

Today is National Tomato-based Condiment Day. Now you know the one I'm talking about - the one with the name that ends with 'up'. But how do you start that word? Like many things it seems that nobody can agree on exactly how it's name should be spelled.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

I'm in way over my head.

 

[Purple]

The big squeeze bottle in my fridge says ketchup. When my older relatives used to have this weird thing against there ever being anything with branding on the table and would make their own sweetened slightly vinegary tomato based sauce and just put it in a little dish with a spoon, that was catsup.

 

[Oathbreaker]

At some point I was told that Ketchup and Catsup are two different things entirely, but an old daycare lady used to refer to even Heinz Ketchup as Catsup so I never really fully understood what was going on. I definitely just say Ketchup. Oddly I've grown away from ever using it for much of anything anymore after a childhood of putting it on absolutely everything I could.

I miss the purple-colored Heinz ketchup specifically. For whatever reason it tasted way better on hotdogs and I would absolutely start going for it again.

 

[Torzelbaum]

I am far more used to seeing ketchup but I think if I saw a bottle labeled 'catsup' I wouldn't think much of it and just proceed with using it as usual.

Some random facts about the main ingredient:
Tomatoes are a member of the nightshade family and when first introduced in Europe they were regarded with suspicion by some people/countries. That suspicion was reflected in one of the common names for it - wolf peach. (Which still remains in the species name for tomato - lycopersicum.)

 

[Violentvixen]

Older catsup recipes used to include anchovies and mushrooms while ketchup didn't, but I don't think those have been common ingredients for a while. I'm sure there are some regional traditional version that do use those umami additions but haven't seen them myself.

Some random facts about the main ingredient:
Tomatoes are a member of the nightshade family and when first introduced in Europe they were regarded with suspicion by some people/countries. That suspicion was reflected in one of the common names for it - wolf peach. (Which still remains in the species name for tomato - lycopersicum.)

Yep. Tomatoes are indigenous to Central and South America which a lot of people don't realize. I think the Aztecs cultivated what we're more familiar with.