Whats the origin of the word “ketchup”?
Nearly everyone likes ketchup, even if what they like to put it on seems odd-Nixon covered his cottage cheese with it, the Japanese eat it on rice, and one ice cream manufacturer allegedly once tried a ketchup ice cream. But how did this condiment, by some estimates owned by 97% of US households, become America’s favorite accompaniment to the classic hamburger and fries? In the 1600s Dutch and British seamen brought back a salty pickled fish sauce called ‘ketsiap’ from China. In this version, it was more related to soy or oyster sauce than the sweet, vinegary substance we call ketchup today. Variations in both the name and the ingredients quickly developed. British alternatives included mushrooms (the favorite), anchovies, oysters, and walnuts. In 1690 the word ‘catchup’ appeared in print in reference to this sauce, and in 1711 ‘ketchup’. The first ketchup recipe was printed in 1727 in Elizabeth Smith’s The Compleat Housewife, and called for anchovies, shallots, vinegar, white wine, sw
