I Just Learned How Ketchup Originated, And I Never Would Have Guessed

Ketchup is one of those things that we are just used to seeing. It’s in fast food restaurants, it’s in our cupboards (or fridges, please don’t come after me), it’s even in the constant background of films and TV shows.

All of this is to say that until very recently, I’d never considered the origins of ketchup. What inspired it? Was it originally created for dipping chips and mozzarella sticks in?

Well, no. Not even close, actually.

So, as much as we may think that ketchup spontaneously appeared in American diners and spread throughout the world from there, ketchup actually originated in China.

So, the first iteration of ketchup was actually based on pickled fish and was more like soy sauce with a dark and thin texture.

According to National Geographic: “The British likely encountered ketchup in Southeast Asia, returned home, and tried to replicate the fermented dark sauce.”

One cook, Richard Bradley, tried to replicate it with his recipe “Ketchup in Paste” which included shallots, anchovies, nutmeg, lemon peel, horseradish and even mushrooms.

This recipe was published in 1727 and it would be quite some time until ketchup as we know it today was created.

A horticulturist named James Mease created the first known tomato ketchup recipe in 1812 and referred to them as “love apples”. He also added tomato pulp, spices, and brandy to the recipe.

After many problems with preservation and taste, Heinz finally entered the tomato ketchup story in 1876.

National Geographic explained: “Heinz developed a recipe that used ripe, red tomatoes—which have more of the natural preservative called pectin than the scraps other manufacturers used—and dramatically increased the amount of vinegar and to reduce risk of spoilage.

“Heinz began producing preservative-free ketchup, and soon dominated the market. In 1905, the company had sold five million bottles of ketchup.”

Now, Heinz sells over 650 million bottles of ketchup around the world every year, according to Business Insider.