Today I’m in the mood for a history lesson. Ketchup – wanna know about it?
First of all, did you know ketchup originated in Asia? I wondered about this when I picked up a bottle of kecap manis for that peanut sauce I love so much. Kecap… is that like ketchup? Well yes, apparently. Ketchup originally referred to a Chinese fermented fish sauce, and was brought back to Europe by sailors in the 17th century. Once in Europe, ketchup wasn’t necessarily fish sauce, but it didn’t necessarily contain tomatoes, either. It was any spiced condiment and could be made out of mushrooms, oysters, walnuts, etc.
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