![]() ![]() ![]() Now known as "ketchup" or "catsup" in English, the sauce was appealing to the traders and sailors for a number of reasons, one of which was that it was well-preserved and could keep for several months without spoiling. Ke-tchup would make the journey westward when it was brought back to Europe by Dutch and English sailors in the 1600s. As Jurafsky notes, "Fermented food products have a long tradition in Asia." Later, vegetables like beans would also be fermented and made into pastes, and Hokkien Chinese traders would bring these sauces to Malaysia and Indonesia, where they were known by the names kechap and ketjap respectively. It referred to a pickled fish brine or sauce from the Fujian province of China and Southeast Asia. On his blog The Language of Food, Stanford University professor Dan Jurafsky comprehensively traces the tangy condiment's long journey from Southeast Asia to China, then to Europe and, eventually, the United States.ĭepending on how it is translated, ketchup's predecessor was known as ke-tchup, kôechiap or kê-tsiap in Hokkien Chinese. The story of ketchup is in many ways a story of globalization and international trade. Given those facts, many Americans may be surprised to learn that ketchup's origins aren't American at all and that tomatoes were introduced to the mix relatively late in the sauce's history. The ubiquitous tomato-based sauce has been a staple in American cuisine for over a century, with surveys finding that 97% of kitchens in the United States contain a bottle. Millions of Americans douse their french fries, hamburgers, hot dogs and other favorite foods with it every day. There probably isn't a more American condiment than ketchup. You can see past "Word Watch" entries here. Although tomato ketchup is ubiquitous today, the condiment was once made from many diverse ingredients - walnuts, oysters or, in this instance, strawberries.Įach week, we take a look at a word or phrase that's caught our attention, whether for its history, usage, etymology, or just because it has an interesting story. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |