ketchup? wheres it from?

Question

where was it invented? where did it come from? my mate wonders why, and now its bugging me!!!

Answer 1

apparently it was orignially made from fish in Eastern Asia. The first recipe for tomato ketchup appeared in an american recipe book in 1801. Heinz ketchup was first manufactured in 1876. There are many variation of ketchup including mushroom and anchovy.

Answer 2

Ketchup history
The word ketchup is derived from the Chinese ke-tsiap, a pickled fish sauce. It made its way to Malaysia where it became kechap and ketjap in Indonesia. Seventeenth century English sailors first discovered the delights of this Chinese condiment and brought it west. Ketchup was first mentioned in print around 1690. The Chinese version is actually more akin to a soy or Worcestershire sauce. It gradually went through various changes, particularly with the addition of tomatoes in the 1700s, and by the nineteenth century, ketchup was also known as tomato soy. Early tomato versions were much thinner and more like a soy or Worcestershire sauce. F. & J. Heinz Company began selling tomato ketchup in 1876. By the end of the nineteenth century, tomato ketchup was the primary type of ketchup, and the decriptor of tomato was gradually dropped. Catsup and catchup are acceptable spellings used interchangably with ketchup, but ketchup is the way you will find it listed in the majority of cookbooks.

Answer 3

Early origins
Ketchup existed before anyone outside the Americas had ever seen a tomato. Originally this sauce was made out of pickled fish. It originated in Eastern Asia; the word ketchup is used in Chinese, Malay and Indonesian (e.g., kecap manis - traditional spelling 'kitjap manis'). English and Dutch sailors brought the Asian ketchup to Europe, where many flavourings, such as mushrooms, anchovies and nuts, were added to the basic fish sauce. Whether the tomato was also added to ketchup in England is not certain, and it is likely that this important event first happened in the USA.

(see link for much more detail)

Answer 4

It comes from tomatoes. no problem, you're welcome. Naahhh... kidding.
Ok first china had katsup which had more of a soy or oyster taste. Then in the 1600 British and Dutch brought back a salty pickled fish sauce from china. Then the variations started to kick in. In 1727 a housewife did a variation with anchovies, shallots, vinegar, white wine, sweet spices (cloves, ginger, mace, nutmeg), pepper, and lemon peel. 85 years later American ex-pat James Mease, printed the first recepie of tomatoe ketchup. By 1837 it was sold nationwide in the U.S. I got this information from the internet.

Answer 5

It's an African invention but the idea was stolen. We still pound tomatoes to make fresh sauce without all the added preservatives.

Answer 6

In 1782, Mrs Agatha Hunchbottom was tending to her tomato plants, when her husband, the very clumsy Archibald, was walking by with his plate of chips/fries. He tripped and fell backwards into the plants, squashing them severely. Some of the said squashed tomatoes landed on to his plate. He liked the taste so much, tomato sauce was born and bottled. ....No, you're right, I have no idea

Answer 7

emily_j is on the right track. Ketchup is a western distortion of a Chinese dialect word pronounced "koechiap", meaning pickled fish brine. Tomato trees had nothing to do with it!!

Answer 8

Ketchup is from tomatos if you need to know.

Answer 9

Tomato trees!

Answer 10

From most good food stores!