The history of tomato ketchup is complex and includes the origins of the word “ketchup”, the first recipes, and the evolution of this condiment as a global product:
The Word “Ketchup”
The word “ketchup” first appeared in 1682. It comes from the Hokkien word ketchup, which means “preserved fish sauce”. There are many different spellings of this word because Hokkien is not written in the Roman alphabet.
Early Recipes
The first known recipe for tomato ketchup was published in 1812 by James Mease, a scientist and horticulturist. His recipe included tomato pulp, spices, and brandy, but no vinegar or sugar.
The First Commercial Ketchup
Jonas Yerkes is credited with being the first American to sell ketchup in a bottle, and by 1837 he had it distributed nationally.
Heinz Ketchup
Henry J. Heinz accidentally created the first tomato sauce in 1876 when he left ketchup to ferment for too long. Heinz’s ketchup was an instant success and spread around the world.
Ketchup in India
Tomato sauce recipes began appearing in cookbooks in the British Raj in the early 1900s. Some of these recipes were spicy, which appealed to the taste buds of Indians.
The Golden Age of Ketchup
The 18th century was the golden age for ketchup. Cookbooks included recipes for ketchup made from oysters, mussels, mushrooms, walnuts, lemons, celery, and even fruits like plums and peaches. Typically, the ingredients were either boiled down to a syrup-like consistency or fermented for a long time with salt. Both of these processes yielded a highly concentrated final product: a salty, spicy flavor bomb that could last a long time without spoiling.
An oyster ketchup recipe from the 1700s called for 100 oysters, three pints of white wine, and lemon peels with mace and cloves. The commemorative “Prince of Wales” ketchup, meanwhile, was made with elderberries and anchovies. Mushroom ketchup was apparently a favorite of Jane Austen.
The Invention of Tomato Ketchup
Finally, in 1812, the first recipe for tomato-based ketchup appeared. Philadelphia scientist James Mease is credited with developing the recipe. He wrote that the best ketchup came from “love apples,” as tomatoes were called back then. (Some people believed tomatoes had aphrodisiac powers.)
Before vinegar became a standard ingredient, preserving tomato-based sauces was an issue, as the fruit would rot quickly. A relatively new company called Heinz introduced its famous formulation in 1876, which consisted of tomatoes, distilled vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and various spices. They also pioneered the use of glass bottles, so customers could see what they were buying. Tomato-based ketchup gradually became the ubiquitous form of the condiment in America and Europe. Today, Heinz is the best-selling brand of ketchup in the United States, with more than 650 million bottles sold each year. With the rise of commercial ketchup, do-it-yourself recipes have all but gone extinct. And at least for Americans, it’s impossible to imagine ketchup as anything other than bright red and tomato-based.
