Ketchup Or Catsup?

Question

What's the difference?

Answer 1

The words derive from the Indonesian/Malay kecap(pronounced kechup) which means...soy sauce. In the 18th century the spelling wasn't standardized. Catsup was a spelling used mainly in the U.S. Same condiment.

Answer 2

Ketchup

Answer 3

the origin of the word ketchup........

For a start, Americans eat it, according to a recent article in Vogue, at the rate of three bottles per person per year. But the original ketchup bore little resemblance to what might be called our national sauce. The words "ketchup" and "catsup" both come from the Malay word "kechap," from the Chinese word "ketsiap," a sauce made from fermented fish and brine. Pickled fish sauce may not sound all that appealing on french fries, but the Malay word "kechap" itself really only meant "taste." After the word migrated into English in the 17th century (as "catchup," still an accepted spelling), it was applied to a variety of sauces and condiments. It was only with the importation of the tomato to Europe from its native habitat in South America that what we now know as ketchup was born. Modern ketchup is made of tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar and spices, and not a speck, thank heavens, of pickled fish.

Answer 4

The true spelling is 'Catsup'...Ketchup came as a result of marketing. I prefer the latter...'Catsup' just annoys me.

Answer 5

I have no idea what Catsup is but I prefer Ketchup.

Answer 6

I always thought that Ketchup was thicker and pastier while catsup was thinner and more saucy, but here is the no-longer disputed facts of the case.

Answer 7

The difference is what part of the country you live in....I say KETCHUP and I live in Pa. (Catsup is what the stuff really is...)

Answer 8

There is no difference. Just a difference in letters. But I prefer the term ketchup.

Answer 9

No difference... some people say ketchup, others say catsup... I say ketchup... as in "I don't like ketchup."

Answer 10

ketchup definitely Catsup is for white people