Title: Why Is Ketchup Red and Mustard Yellow?
Headings: Why Is Ketchup Red and Mustard Yellow?
Why Is Ketchup Red and Mustard Yellow?
Content: Here’s why: Ketchup
This most “American” of condiments originated in Asia, where it dates back to the 6 th century AD. In the beginning, ketchup (spelled ke-tchup) was a fish sauce – not a sauce for fish, but made of fish . . . well their stomachs, intestines and bladders. Combined with salt and left in a sealed jar to “ incubate in the sun ,” the original ke-tchup was a far cry from the mass-produced condiment we enjoy today. Europeans were first introduced to the sauce by Chinese sailors in Fuji in the 16 th century, although at the time, the condiment had neither tomatoes nor sugar and was frequently just fermented salted anchovies. It wasn’t until an American physician in 1834 “ declared tomatoes to be a universal panacea that could be used to treat diarrhea . . . and indigestion ,” and added them to ketchup, that the practice caught on. Spreading quickly, by 1876, tomato ketchup was “considered to be a sort of tonic.” Today (well, 2007), over 300 million pounds of ketchup are sold each year.