Title: How ketchup, an invention of imperial China, eventually became a polarizing American staple | Salon.com
Headings: How ketchup, an invention of imperial China, eventually became a polarizing American staple
How ketchup, an invention of imperial China, eventually became a polarizing American staple
Ketchup makers are trying push past the condiment's basic reputation with new flavors like "Kranch" and "Mayochup"
What is ketchup?
How ketchup, an invention of imperial China, eventually became a polarizing American staple
How should I use ketchup at home?
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Recipe: Salon's Special Sauce
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Brand recommendations, plus how to make it at home
Ashlie D. Stevens

Content: Salsa, he explained, has different "host foods" (i.e. not hot dogs) and is more expensive, so it naturally gained on ketchup in dollar amount. But the point remains the same — at a certain point, for some, ketchup lost its love-apple luster. This plays out in current market data: Ketchup's profits have stayed pretty flat for the last five years, as cult condiments like sriracha and endless variations of age-old standards — avocado oil mayonnaise, garlic mayonnaise, chipotle mayonnaise, Kewpie mayonnaise — now line the grocery store shelves. Mike Richardson, a food industry analyst at the Freedonia Group, told Marketplace in 2019 that storied brands like Heinz and Hunt's are continuing to try their hand at more adventurous adaptations of basic ketchup. There's Kranch (ketchup and ranch), Mayochup (mayonnaise and ketchup) and Hot and Spicy (ketchup with a hint of Tabasco). Unlike the Heinz green EZ Squirt — which was released in support of the first "Shrek" movie and remains forever seared into the brains of '90s kids —these aren't intended to be limited-edition flavors. They're a play at trying to direct market dollars back to the ketchup section of the condiment aisle. Advertisement: "The development of some of these new variations of ketchup, whether it's with different ingredient formulations or more exotic flavor profiles, has been an effort to retain the customer base for ketchup that might otherwise have gone in search of something more exciting," he said.