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: Where's the salsa? No salsa?'" Advertisement: There are nuances to George's assertion. As Robin Teets, a spokesperson for Heinz North America, told SFGate, while salsa may have taken the top spot in dollars earned, "by volume, ketchup was always the leader." 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.