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{{short description|Sauce used as a condiment}}
{{other uses}}
{{redirect|Catchup|catchup television|Streaming television}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox food
| name               = Ketchup
| image              = Ketchup 20160918 181342 (cropped).jpg
| alt                = Glass dish of tomato ketchup
| caption            = A glass dish of tomato ketchup
| region             = 
| creator            = 
| course             = 
| type               = [[Condiment]]
| served             = 
| main_ingredient    = [[Tomato]]es (or other main ingredients), [[sugar]] (or [[high fructose corn syrup]]), [[vinegar]], salt, [[spice]]s, and [[seasoning]]s
| variations         = 
| calories           = 100
| serving_size       = 1 tbsp / 15 ml
| other              = 
| place_of_origin    = [[United Kingdom]] (mushroom variant), [[United States]] (tomato variant)
}}

'''Ketchup''' or '''catsup'''{{notetag|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɛ|tʃ|ə|p|,_|-|V|p|,_|ˈ|k|æ|t|s|ə|p|,_|-|V|p|,_|ˈ|k|æ|tʃ|ə|p}}{{refn|See OED (ketchup,<ref>{{Cite OED|term=ketchup|id=6453123179|access=free}}</ref> catsup<ref>{{Cite OED|term=catsup|id=4620410901|access=free}}</ref>), Collins,<ref>{{Cite Collins Dictionary|ketchup}}</ref> and Webster<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|ketchup}}</ref>.}}}} is a [[table condiment]] with a sweet and sour flavor. "Ketchup" now typically refers to '''tomato ketchup''',<ref name="npr-sept-2019">{{Cite web |last=Charles |first=Dan |date=2 September 2019 |title=Meet The Man Who Guards America's Ketchup |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/09/02/754316710/meet-the-man-who-guards-americas-ketchup |access-date=3 September 2019 |website=National Public Radio}}</ref> although early recipes for different varieties contained [[mushroom ketchup|mushroom]]s, [[oyster]]s, [[mussel]]s, [[egg white]]s, [[grape]]s, or [[walnut]]s, among other ingredients.<ref name="Smith1996">{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Andrew F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hAq_EvcAIW4C |title=Pure Ketchup: A History of America's National Condiment, with Recipes |date=1996 |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |isbn=978-1-57003-139-7 |page=17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 July 2012 |title=Ketchup: A Saucy History |url=http://www.history.com/news/hungry-history/ketchup-a-saucy-history |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402224301/https://www.history.com/news/hungry-history/ketchup-a-saucy-history |archive-date=2 April 2018 |access-date=15 March 2013 |website=History}}</ref> 

[[Tomato]] ketchup is made from tomatoes, sugar, and [[vinegar]], with [[seasoning]]s and [[spice]]s. The spices and flavors vary but commonly include [[onion]]s, [[allspice]], [[coriander seed|coriander]], [[cloves]], [[cumin]], [[garlic]], [[mustard seed|mustard]] and sometimes include [[celery]], [[cinnamon]], or [[ginger]].{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} Tomato ketchup is often used as a condiment for dishes that are usually served hot, and are fried or greasy: e.g., [[french fries]] and other [[List of potato dishes|potato dishes]], [[hamburger]]s, [[hot dog]]s, [[chicken tender]]s, hot [[sandwich]]es, [[meat pie]]s, cooked [[Egg as food|eggs]], and grilled or fried meat.

Ketchup is sometimes used as the basis for, or as one ingredient in, other sauces and dressings, and the flavor may be replicated as an [[Flavoring|additive flavoring]] for snacks, such as [[ketchup potato chip|potato chip]]s.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chu |first=Louisa |date=29 August 2019 |title=Who Makes the Best Ketchup Chips? Yes, They're a Thing. and We Tried 13 Brands from Canada |work=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct-food-ketchup-potato-chips-ranked-viz-0904-20190829-5ytn5affnbh47pouxr5z6t2u7u-story.html |access-date=7 February 2021}}</ref>

==Nomenclature==
===Terminology===
The term used for the sauce varies. ''Ketchup'' is the dominant term in [[American English regional vocabulary|American English]] and [[Canadian English]], although ''catsup'' is commonly used in some southern US states and [[Mexico]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 2014 |title=Catsup vs Ketchup |url=https://www.diffen.com/difference/Catsup_vs_Ketchup |website=Diffen}}</ref>

In Canada and the US, ''[[tomato sauce]]'' is not a synonym for ketchup but is a sauce made from tomatoes and commonly used in making sauce for pasta.<ref name="De Kleine">{{Cite book |last=De Kleine |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gKL_QKDfK84C&pg=PA477 |title=Lots of Fat and Taste Recipes |date=2009 |isbn=978-1-4415-3096-7 |page=477|publisher=Xlibris Corporation }}</ref>

===Etymology===
{{Wiktionary}}
The etymology of the word ''ketchup'' is unclear; there are multiple competing theories:<ref name="pureketchup">{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Andrew F. |title=Pure Ketchup: A History of America's National Condiment |date=2001 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press |isbn=1-56098-993-9 |location=Washington, DC |page=4 |quote=The etymological origin of the word ''ketchup'' is a matter of confusion}}</ref>

====Amoy theory====
A popular [[folk etymology]] is that the word came from the [[Xiamen|Amoy (Xiamen)]] region of [[China]] into English, as a [[borrowed word]] [[wiktionary:茄汁|茄汁]] ({{Lang-zh|w=ke2 zap1|labels=no}}, [[Cantonese]], meaning "tomato sauce";<ref>{{cite news |last=Chen |first=Anna |date=25 October 2014 |title=The Chinese in Britain: Personal tales of a journey to a new land |department=Charting diasporas |newspaper=[[South China Morning Post]] |place=Hong Kong |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1622895/chinese-britain-charting-diasporas-journey-new-land |access-date=16 December 2021 |lang=en}}</ref> the character {{Lang|yue|茄}} means 'eggplant'; ''tomato'' in Chinese is {{Lang|yue|番茄}}, so the phrase literally translates to ''foreign eggplant sauce''). 

Another theory among academics is that the word derives from one of two words from [[Hokkien]] of the [[Fujian]] region of coastal southern China: [[wiktionary:膎汁#Chinese|''kôe-chiap'']] (in the [[Amoy dialect|Amoy / Xiamen dialect]] and [[Quanzhou dialects|Quanzhou dialect]]) or [[wiktionary:膎汁#Chinese|''kê-chiap'']]<ref name=Jurafsky/><ref name=ahd>{{cite dictionary |title=Ketchup |dictionary=[[The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language]] |edition=online |url=https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=ketchup |access-date=16 December 2021 }}</ref> (in the [[Zhangzhou dialects|Zhangzhou dialect]]). Both of these pronunciations of the same word ({{Lang|nan|膎汁}}, {{Lang|nan-latn|kôe-chiap}} / {{Lang|nan-latn|kê-chiap}}) come from the [[Quanzhou dialect]], [[Amoy dialect]], and [[Zhangzhou dialect]] of Hokkien, respectively, where it meant the [[brine]] of pickled fish or shellfish ({{Lang|nan|膎}}, 'pickled food' (usually seafood) + {{Lang|nan|汁}}, 'juice'). There are citations of {{Lang|nan-latn|koe-chiap}} in the ''Chinese-English Dictionary of the Vernacular or Spoken Language of [[Amoy]]'' (1873) by [[Carstairs Douglas]], defined as "brine of pickled fish or shell-fish."<ref>{{cite book |last=Douglas |first=Carstairs |author-link=Carstairs Douglas |year=1873 |title=Chinese-English Dictionary of the Vernacular or Spoken Language of Amoy |publisher=Presbyterian Church of England |location=London |pages=242 & 46 |url=https://archive.org/details/chineseenglishdict00doug/page/242/mode/2up?q=%22k%C3%B4e-chiap%22 }}</ref>

====Malay theory====
''Ketchup'' may have entered the English language from the [[Malay language|Malay]] word {{Lang|ms|kicap}} ({{IPA|ms|kitʃap|pron}}, sometimes spelled {{Lang|ms|kecap}} or {{Lang|ms|ketjap}}). Originally meaning "soy sauce", the word itself derives from Chinese.<ref name="oed">{{Cite web |title=Ketchup |url=https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=ketchup |access-date=8 December 2020 |website=Online Etymology Dictionary}}</ref>

In [[Indonesian cuisine]], which is similar to [[Malay cuisine|Malay]], the term {{Lang|id|kecap}} refers to fermented savory sauces. Two main types are well known in their cuisine: {{Lang|id|kecap asin}}, which translates to "salty {{Lang|id|kecap}}" in [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]] (a salty soy sauce) and {{Lang|id|kecap manis}} or "sweet {{Lang|id|kecap}}" in Indonesian. {{Lang|id|Kecap manis}} is a [[sweet soy sauce]] that is a mixture of soy sauce with brown sugar, molasses, garlic, ginger, anise, coriander and a bay leaf reduced over medium heat until rather syrupy. A third type, {{Lang|id|kecap ikan}}, meaning "fish {{Lang|id|kecap}}" is [[fish sauce]] similar to the [[Thai cuisine|Thai]] ''[[nam pla]]'' or the [[Philippine cuisine|Philippine]] ''[[Patis (sauce)|patis]]''. It is not, however, soy-based.

====European-Arabic theory====
American anthropologist E.&nbsp;N. Anderson relies on Elizabeth David to claim that ''ketchup'' is a [[cognate]] of the French {{ill|escavèche|fr}}, meaning "food in sauce".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Anderson |first=E. N. |title=The Food of China |date=1988 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=0-300-04739-8 |location=New Haven |page=160}}</ref> The word also exists in Spanish and Portuguese forms as ''[[escabeche]]'', "a sauce for pickling", which culinary historian Karen Hess traced back to Arabic {{Lang|ar-latn|kabees}}, or "pickling with vinegar". The term was anglicized to ''caveach'', a word first attested in the late 17th century, at the same time as ''ketchup''.<ref name="pureketchup" />

====Early uses in English====
[[File:Blue Label Ketchup, 1898.jpg|thumb|upright|Blue Label Tomato Ketchup advertisement, Curtice Brothers, 1898]]
The word entered the [[English language]] in Britain during the late 17th century, appearing in print as ''ketchup'' (1682), ''catchup'' (1690), and later as ''catsup'' (1730). The following is a list of early quotations collected by the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' and others.

* 1682, [[John Chamberlayne]], ''The Natural history of coffee, thee, chocolate, tobacco'' 18
** "… I do not doubt, but you ''London'' Gentlemen, do value [Chocolate] above all your ''Cullises'' and ''Jellies'', your ''Anchoves'', ''Bononia Sawsages'', your ''Cock'', or ''Lamb-stones'', your ''Soys'', your ''Ketchups'' and ''Caveares'', your ''Cantharides'', and your ''Whites'' of ''Eggs'', are not to be compared to our rude ''Indian''…"<ref name="Chamberlayne">{{Cite book |last=Chamberlayne |first=John |year=1682 |title=The Natural history of coffee, thee, chocolate, tobacco : in four several sections ; with a tract of elder and juniper berries … collected from the writings of the best physicians and modern travellers |url=https://archive.org/details/naturalhistoryof00chamuoft/page/18/ |location=London |publisher=Christopher Wilkinson |page=18 |access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref>
* 1683, M. H., ''The Young Cook's Monitor'' 68, 104, 139
** "if you have any Ketchup you may put in half a score drops", "put into it half a Spoonful of Ketchup", etc.<ref>{{cite book |last=H. |first=M. |date=1683 |title=The Young Cook's Monitor: Or, Directions for Cookery and Distilling |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ivlmAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA68 |location=London |publisher=William Downing |page=68, 104, 139 |access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref>
* 1690, B. E., ''[[A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew]]''
** "Catchup: a high East-India Sauce."
* 1711, Charles Lockyer, ''An Account of the Trade in India'' 128
** "Soy comes in Tubbs from Japan, and the best Ketchup from [[Tonkin|Tonquin]]; yet good of both sorts are made and sold very cheap in China."
* 1727, [[Eliza Smith (writer)|Eliza Smith]], ''[[The Compleat Housewife, or, Accomplish'd Gentlewoman's Companion]]''<ref name="JASNA">{{Cite magazine |last=Mitchell |first=Christine M. |date=2010 |title=Book Review: The Handy Homemaker, Eighteenth-Century Style |url=http://www.jasna.org/bookrev/br261p22.pdf |url-status=dead |magazine=JASNA News |issue=Spring 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101010004203/http://jasna.org/bookrev/br261p22.pdf |archive-date=10 October 2010 |access-date=26 March 2015}}</ref>
** The first published recipe: it included mushrooms, anchovies and horseradish.
* 1730, [[Jonathan Swift]], ''A Panegyrick on the Dean'' Wks. 1755 IV. I. 142
** "And, for our home-bred British cheer, Botargo, catsup, and caveer."
* 1748, Sarah Harrison, ''The Housekeeper's Pocket-Book and Compleat Family Cook''. i. (ed. 4) 2,
** "I therefore advise you to lay in a Store of Spices, ... neither ought you to be without ... Kitchup, or Mushroom Juice."
* 1751, Mrs. Hannah Glasse, ''Cookery Bk''. 309
** "It will taste like foreign Catchup."
* 1817, [[Lord Byron]], ''[[Beppo (poem)|Beppo]]'' viii,
** "Walk or ride to the Strand, and buy in gross ... Ketchup, Soy, Chili-vinegar, and Harvey ..."
* 1832, ''Vegetable Substances Used for the Food of Man'' 333
** "One ... application of mushrooms is ... converting them into the sauce called Catsup."
* 1840, [[Charles Dickens]], ''[[Barnaby Rudge]]'' (1849) 91/1
** "Some lamb chops (breaded, with plenty of ketchup)."
* 1845, [[Eliza Acton]], ''Modern Cookery'' v. (1850) 136 (L.)
** "Walnut catsup."
* 1862, ''Macmillan's Magazine''. Oct. 466
** "He found in mothery catsup a number of yellowish globular bodies."
* 1874, Mordecai C. Cooke, ''Fungi; Their Nature, Influence and Uses'' 89
** "One important use to which several ... fungi can be applied, is the manufacture of ketchup."

==History==
The term ''ketchup'' first appeared in 1682.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ketchup |url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/103080?redirectedFrom=Ketchup#eid |access-date=22 October 2021 |website=Oxford English Dictionary |language=en}}</ref> Recipes for many types of ketchup began to appear in British and then American cookbooks in the 18th century. 

===Mushroom ketchup===
{{main|Mushroom ketchup}}
[[File:Mushroom ketchup (homemade) - (cropped).jpg|thumb|Homemade [[mushroom ketchup]] in a plastic tub]]
In the United Kingdom, from the 1600s ketchup was prepared with [[Edible mushroom|mushrooms]] as a primary ingredient, rather than tomatoes.<ref name="Cooke" /><ref name="Bell" /><ref name="Branston" /> In the United States, [[mushroom ketchup]] dates back to at least 1770, and was prepared by British colonists in the [[Thirteen Colonies]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Andrew F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hAq_EvcAIW4C&pg=PA16 |title=Pure Ketchup: A History of America's National Condiment, with Recipes |date=1996 |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |isbn=1-57003-139-8 |location=Columbia, South Carolina |pages=16–17}}</ref>

===Tomato ketchup===
[[File:Different ketchup in a plate 122425.jpg|thumb|Tomato ketchup and other [[condiment]]s]]
[[File:Tomato Casual.jpg|thumb|right|Tomato ketchup next to raw tomatoes]]

[[James Mease]] published the first known tomato ketchup recipe in 1812. An early recipe for "tomato catsup" from 1817 includes [[anchovies]] and insects:<ref name="The Cosmopolitan Condiment">{{Cite web |last=Jurafsky |first=Dan |date=30 May 2012 |title=The Cosmopolitan Condiment: An Exploration of Ketchup's Chinese Origins |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2012/05/ketchup_s_chinese_origins_how_it_evolved_from_fish_sauce_to_today_s_tomato_condiment.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202235424/http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2012/05/ketchup_s_chinese_origins_how_it_evolved_from_fish_sauce_to_today_s_tomato_condiment.html |archive-date=2 February 2015 |access-date=30 January 2015 |website=slate.com}}</ref>

<blockquote>
# Gather a gallon of fine, red, and full ripe tomatas; mash them with one pound of salt. 
# Let them rest for three days, press off the juice, and to each quart add a quarter of a pound of anchovies, two ounces of shallots, and an ounce of ground black pepper.
# Boil up together for half an hour, strain through a sieve, and put to it the following spices; a quarter of an ounce of [[Nutmeg#Mace|mace]], the same of allspice and ginger, half an ounce of nutmeg, a [[Dram_(unit)|drachm]] of coriander seed, and half a drachm of [[cochineal]]. 
# Pound all together; let them simmer gently for twenty minutes, and strain through a bag: when cold, bottle it, adding to each bottle a wineglass of brandy. It will keep for seven years.</blockquote>

In 1824, a ketchup recipe using tomatoes appeared in ''The Virginia Housewife'' (an influential 19th-century cookbook written by Mary Randolph, [[Thomas Jefferson]]'s cousin). Tomato ketchup was sold locally by farmers. Jonas Yerkes is credited as the first American to sell it in a bottle.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Skrabec | first=Quentin R. Jr. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PxqCy0R-VzAC&pg=PA56 |title=H. J. Heinz: A Biography |date=2009 |publisher=McFarland & Co. |isbn=978-0-78645332-0 |location=Jefferson, NC |page=56}}</ref> By 1837, he had produced and distributed the condiment nationally.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Skrabec | first=Quentin R. Jr. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PxqCy0R-VzAC&pg=PA57 |title=H. J. Heinz: A Biography |date=2009 |publisher=McFarland & Co. |isbn=978-0-78645332-0 |location=Jefferson, NC |page=57}}</ref> By the mid-1850s, anchovies no longer featured as an ingredient.<ref name="The Cosmopolitan Condiment" />

Shortly thereafter, other companies followed suit. [[Heinz|F. & J. Heinz]] launched their tomato ketchup in 1876.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Heinz - History |url=http://www.heinz.com/our-company/about-heinz/history.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720090200/http://www.heinz.com/our-company/about-heinz/history.aspx |archive-date=20 July 2011 |access-date=27 July 2011 |website=Heinz}}</ref> By 1897 the [[Sears]] catalog reported "there are hundreds of brands of Catsup on the market, a few of them good."<ref name="Sears">{{Cite book |title=Sears, Roebuck & Co. Catalogue |year=1897 |page=12}}</ref>

American cooks also began to sweeten ketchup in the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rozin |first=Elisabeth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f8HfAAAAMAAJ&q=The+Primal+Cheeseburger |title=The Primal Cheeseburger |date=1994 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-017843-2 |location=New York |language=en}}</ref> The ''[[Webster's Dictionary]]'' of 1913 defined "catsup" as: "table sauce made from mushrooms, tomatoes, walnuts, etc. [Also written as ketchup]." As the century progressed, tomato ketchup began its ascent in popularity in the United States. Tomato ketchup was popular long before fresh tomatoes were. People were less hesitant to eat tomatoes as part of a highly processed product that had been cooked and infused with vinegar and spices.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tomato History: From Poison to Obsession |url=http://www.tomatogardeningguru.com/history.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613041908/http://www.tomatogardeningguru.com/history.html |archive-date=13 June 2011 |access-date=26 May 2011 |website=TomatoGardeningGuru.com}}</ref> 

[[Heinz Tomato Ketchup]] was advertised: "Blessed relief for Mother and the other women in the household!", a slogan which alluded to the lengthy process required to produce tomato ketchup in the home.<ref name="Retro Food Fiascos: A Collection of Curious Concoctions">{{Cite book |last=Casey |first=Kathy |title=Retro Food Fiascos: A Collection of Curious Concoctions |publisher=Collectors Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-888054-88-0 |location=Portland |page=128}}</ref> With industrial ketchup production and a need for better preservation there was a great increase of sugar in ketchup, leading to the typically sweet and sour formula of today.<ref name="The Cosmopolitan Condiment" /> In Australia, it was not until the late 19th century that sugar was added to ''tomato sauce'', initially in small quantities, but today it contains just as much as American ketchup and only differed in the proportions of tomatoes, salt and vinegar in early recipes.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Santich |first=Barbara |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RkHKFAzc_5AC&pg=PA245 |title=Bold Palates: Australia's Gastronomic Heritage |date=2012 |publisher=Wakefield Press |isbn=978-1-74305-094-1 |location=Kent Town, South Australia}}</ref> While ketchup and tomato sauce are both sold in Australia, American ketchup is sweeter and thicker whereas Australian tomato sauce is more sour and runny.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2022-01-06 |title=The difference between tomato ketchup and tomato sauce |url=https://www.steric.com.au/the-difference-between-tomato-ketchup-and-tomato-sauce/ |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=Steric |language=en-AU}}</ref>

Modern ketchup emerged in the early years of the 20th century, out of a debate over the use of [[sodium benzoate]] as a preservative in condiments. [[Harvey W. Wiley]], the "father" of the [[Food and Drug Administration|US Food and Drug Administration]], challenged the safety of benzoate which was banned in the 1906 [[Pure Food and Drug Act]].
In response, entrepreneurs including [[Henry J. Heinz]], pursued an alternative recipe that eliminated the need for that preservative.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} [[Katherine Bitting]], a bacteriologist working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, carried out research in 1909 that proved increasing the sugar and vinegar content of the product would prevent spoilage without use of artificial preservatives. She was assisted by her husband, Arvil Bitting, an official at that agency.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Andrew F. |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America |date=2013 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-973496-2 |edition=2nd |location=New York, New York |page=54}}</ref>

Prior to Heinz (and his fellow innovators), commercial tomato ketchups of that time were watery and thin, in part because they used unripe tomatoes, which were low in [[pectin]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gladwell |first=Malcolm |title=What the Dog Saw and Other Adventure Stories |date=2009 |publisher=Little, Brown & Co. |location=New York |page=41}}</ref> They had less vinegar than modern ketchups; by [[pickling]] ripe tomatoes, the need for benzoate was eliminated without spoilage or degradation in flavor. But the changes driven by the desire to eliminate benzoate also produced changes{{clarify|reason=What changes?|date=January 2013}} that some experts (such as Andrew F. Smith<ref>{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Andrew F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e82QWB89_sIC |title=The Tomato in America: Early History, Culture, and Cookery |date=2001 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=0-252-07009-7 |location=Urbana}}</ref>) believe were key to the establishment of tomato ketchup as the dominant American condiment.{{Cn|date=April 2025}}

===Later innovations===
[[File:Omurice by Taimeiken.jpg|thumb|left|[[Omurice]] served with tomato ketchup]]
In fast food outlets, ketchup is often dispensed in small sachets or tubs. Diners tear the side or top of [[Condiment sachet|ketchup packets]] and squeeze ketchup out of them or peel the foil lid off tubs for dipping. In 2011, Heinz began offering a new measured-portion package, called the [[Dip & Squeeze|"Dip and Squeeze"]] packet, which can be opened in either way.<ref name="Nassauer">{{Cite web |last=Nassauer |first=Sarah |date=19 September 2011 |title=Old Ketchup Packet Heads for Trash |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111904194604576578691502178606 |access-date=19 October 2012 |website=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref>

Some fast food outlets previously dispensed ketchup from hand-operated pumps into paper cups. This method has made a comeback in the first decades of the 21st century, as cost and environmental concerns over the increasing use of individual plastic ketchup tubs were taken into account.{{Cn|date=April 2025}}

In October 2000, Heinz introduced colored ketchup products called EZ Squirt, which eventually included green (2000), purple (2001), mystery (pink, orange, or [[teal (color)|teal]], 2002), and blue (2003).<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 April 2003 |title=Heinz Unveils New Blue Ketchup |work=USAToday.com |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2003-04-07-blue-ketchup_x.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417184639/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2003-04-07-blue-ketchup_x.htm |archive-date=2023-04-17|url-status=dead}}</ref> These products were made by adding [[food coloring]] to the traditional ketchup. By January 2006, these products were discontinued.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Consumer FAQs |url=https://www.heinz.com/Consumer_faq.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120231953/http://www.heinz.com/Consumer_faq.aspx |archive-date=20 November 2008 |website=Heinz}}</ref>

==Properties==
=== Composition ===
U.S. Heinz tomato ketchup's ingredients (listed from highest to lowest percentage weight) are: [[tomato paste|tomato concentrate]] from red ripe tomatoes, [[vinegar#Spirits|distilled vinegar]], [[high-fructose corn syrup]], [[corn syrup]], [[salt]], spice, onion powder, and natural flavoring.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ketchup – Tomato Ketchup |url=http://www.heinzketchup.com/ |access-date=15 December 2016 |publisher=Heinz Ketchup |archive-date=14 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214094622/http://www.heinzketchup.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===="Fancy" ketchup====
Some ketchup in the U.S. is labeled "Fancy", a [[United States Department of Agriculture|USDA]] grade related to [[specific gravity]]. Fancy ketchup has a higher tomato solid concentration than other USDA grades.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Barrett |first1=Diane M. |last2=Garcia |first2=Elisabeth |last3=Wayne |first3=Jo Ellen |date=1998 |title=Textural Modification of Processing Tomatoes |url=https://ucanr.edu/sites/Zann_test/files/28715.pdf |journal=Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition |language=en |volume=38 |issue=3 |pages=173–258 |doi=10.1080/10408699891274192|pmid=9595227 |issn = 1040-8398}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+ USDA ketchup grades
! Grade
! Specific gravity
! Total solids
|-
| Fancy
| 1.15
| 33%
|-
| Extra Standard
| 1.13
| 29%
|-
| Standard
| 1.11
| 25%
|}

===Nutrition===
The following table compares the nutritional value of ketchup with raw ripe tomatoes and [[salsa (sauce)|salsa]], based on information from the [[United States Department of Agriculture|USDA]] Food Nutrient Database.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference |url=http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=8964 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051221165838/http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=8964 |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 December 2005 |access-date=3 December 2007 |publisher=[[USDA]]}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Nutrient<br />(per 100&nbsp;g)
! Ketchup
! Low-[[sodium]]<br />ketchup
! Tomatoes,<br />year-round
! USDA commodity<br />salsa
|-
| [[Food energy|Energy]]
| {{cvt|419|kJ|kcal|disp=br|lk=out}}
| {{cvt|435|kJ|kcal|disp=br}}
| {{cvt|75|kJ|kcal|disp=br}}
| {{cvt|150|kJ|kcal|disp=br}}
|-
| [[Water (molecule)|Water]]
| 68.33&nbsp;[[gram|g]]
| 66.58&nbsp;g
| 94.50&nbsp;g
| 89.70&nbsp;g
|-
| [[Protein (nutrient)|Protein]]
| 1.74&nbsp;g
| 1.52&nbsp;g
| 0.88&nbsp;g
| 1.50&nbsp;g
|-
| [[Fat]]s
| 0.49&nbsp;g
| 0.36&nbsp;g
| 0.20&nbsp;g
| 0.20&nbsp;g
|-
| [[Carbohydrates]]
| 25.78&nbsp;g
| 27.28&nbsp;g
| 3.92&nbsp;g
| 7.00&nbsp;g
|-
| [[Sodium]]
| 1110&nbsp;[[milligram|mg]]
| 20&nbsp;mg
| 5&nbsp;mg
| 430&nbsp;mg
|-
| [[Vitamin C]]
| 15.1&nbsp;mg
| 15.1&nbsp;mg
| 12.7&nbsp;mg
| 4&nbsp;mg
|-
| [[Lycopene]]
| 17.0&nbsp;mg
| 19.0&nbsp;mg
| 2.6&nbsp;mg
| n/a
|}

===Viscosity===
[[File:2008-11-12 Russell pouring ketchup at Elmo's Diner.jpg|thumb|upright|Transferring ketchup between plastic bottles]]
Commercial tomato ketchup has an additive, usually [[xanthan gum]], which gives the condiment a [[non-Newtonian]], [[pseudoplastic]] or "shear thinning" property—more commonly known as [[thixotropy]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2020}} This increases the viscosity of the ketchup considerably with a relatively small amount added—usually 0.5%—which can make it difficult to pour from a container. However, the shear thinning property of the gum ensures that when a force is applied to the ketchup, it will lower the viscosity, enabling the sauce to flow. A common method of getting ketchup out of the bottle involves inverting the bottle and shaking it or hitting the bottom with the heel of the hand, which causes the ketchup to flow rapidly. Ketchup in plastic bottles can be additionally manipulated by squeezing the bottle, which also decreases the viscosity of the ketchup inside. Another technique involves inverting the bottle and forcefully tapping its upper neck with two fingers (index and middle finger together). Specifically, with a [[Heinz Tomato Ketchup|Heinz ketchup]] glass bottle, one taps the 57 circle on the neck. This helps the ketchup flow by applying the correct shearing force.<ref name="HowToPourKetchup">{{Cite web |title=What's the Best Way to Get Heinz® Ketchup out of the Iconic Glass Bottle? |url=http://www.heinzketchup.com/FAQ.aspx/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105102624/http://www.heinzketchup.com/FAQ.aspx/ |archive-date=5 November 2012 |access-date=5 November 2012 |website=heinzketchup.com}}</ref> These techniques work because of how pseudoplastic fluids behave: their [[viscosity]] (resistance to flow) decreases with increasing shear rate. The faster the ketchup is sheared (by shaking or tapping the bottle), the more fluid it becomes. After the shear is removed, the ketchup thickens to its original viscosity.

Ketchup is a [[non-Newtonian fluid]], meaning that its viscosity changes under stress and is not constant. It is a shear thinning fluid, which means its viscosity decreases with increased shear stress.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 April 2010 |title=Non-Newtonian Fluids |url=http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Science-Stories/Strange-Liquids/Non-Newtonian-fluids |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013082055/http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Science-Stories/Strange-Liquids/Non-Newtonian-fluids |archive-date=13 October 2016 |access-date=12 October 2016 |website=Science Learning Hub}}</ref> The equation used to designate a non-Newtonian fluid is as follows: <math>\eta=\tau/\dot{y}</math>. This equation represents [[apparent viscosity]] where apparent viscosity is the [[shear stress]] divided by [[shear rate]]. Viscosity is dependent on stress. This is apparent when one shakes a bottle of ketchup so it becomes liquid enough to squirt out. Its viscosity decreases with stress.<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 June 2002 |title=Shear Mystery |url=https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2002/07jun_elastic_fluids |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013144058/https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2002/07jun_elastic_fluids |archive-date=13 October 2016 |access-date=12 October 2016 |website=NASA}}</ref>
[[File:Dilatant-pseudoplastic.svg|thumb|Graph representation of the three main fluid viscosity categories]]
The molecular composition of ketchup is what creates its [[Shear thinning|pseudoplastic]] characteristics. Small polysaccharides, sugars, acids, and water make up the majority of the metastable ketchup product, and these small structures are able to move more easily throughout a matrix because of their low mass. While exposed to shear stress, the molecules within the suspension are able to respond quickly and create an alignment within the product.<ref name="Coupland 2014">{{Cite book |last=Coupland |first=John N. |title=An Introduction to the Physical Chemistry of Food |date=2014 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-4939-0761-8 |location=New York, New York |page=128}}</ref> The bonds between the molecules are mostly hydrogen bonds, ionic interactions, and electrostatic interactions, all of which can be broken when subject to stress. [[Hydrogen bond]]s are constantly rearranging within a product due to their need to be in the lowest energy state, which further confirms that the bonds between the molecules will be easily disrupted. This alignment only lasts for as long as shear stress is applied. The molecules return to their original disorganized state once the shear stress dissipates.<ref name="Coupland 2014" />

In 2017, researchers at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] reported the development of a bottle coating that allowed all the product to slip out without leaving a residue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ghosh |first=Pallab |date=22 February 2017 |title=Slippery Bottle Solves Ketchup Problem |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-39030055 |access-date=7 March 2017 |website=BBC News}}</ref>

In 2022, researchers at the [[University of Oxford]] found that splatter from a near-empty bottle can be prevented by squeezing more slowly and doubling the diameter of the nozzle.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/11/the-physics-of-keeping-those-last-bits-of-ketchup-from-splattering/ | title=Oxford scientists crack case of why ketchup splatters from near-empty bottle | date=24 November 2022 }}</ref>

=== Separation ===
Ketchup is one of the many products that are leachable, meaning that the water within the product migrates together as the larger molecules within the product sediment, ultimately causing water to separate out. This forms a layer of water on top of the ketchup due to the molecular instability within the product.<ref name="Vilgis1893">{{Cite book |last=Vilgis |first=T. |title=The Kitchen as Laboratory: Reflections on the Science of Food and Cooking |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=1893 |location=New York |pages=142–145 |chapter=Nineteen: "Ketchup as Tasty Soft Matter"}}</ref> This instability is caused by interactions between hydrophobic molecules and charged molecules within the ketchup suspension.

[[Pectin]] is a polysaccharide within tomatoes that has the ability to bind to itself and to other molecules, especially water, around it. This enables it to create a gel-like matrix, dependent on the amount within the solution. Water is a large part of ketchup, due to it being 80% of the composition of distilled vinegar. In order for the water within the ketchup to be at the lowest possible energy state, all of the hydrogen bonds that are able to be made within the matrix must be made.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Journel |first1=André G. |last2=Deutsch |first2=Clayton V. |date=1993 |title=Entropy and Spatial Disorder |journal=Mathematical Geology |language=en |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=329–355 |doi=10.1007/BF00901422|bibcode=1993MatGe..25..329J |s2cid=122572917 }}</ref> The water bound to the polysaccharide moves more slowly within the matrix, which is unfavorable with respect to [[entropy]].<ref name="Vilgis1893" /> The increased order within the polysaccharide-water complex gives rise to a high-energy state, in which the water will want to be relieved. This concept implies that water will more favorably bind with itself because of the increased disorder between water molecules. This is partially the cause for water leaching out of solution when left undisturbed for a short period of time.

== See also ==
{{Portal|Food}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* {{anli|Fry sauce}}
* Ketchups:
** [[Banana ketchup]]
** [[Curry ketchup]]
** [[Fruit ketchup]]
* {{anli|Ketchup as a vegetable}}
* [[List of dips]]
* [[List of condiments]]
** [[Mustard (condiment)|Mustard]]
* [[Shelf stable food]]
* {{anli|Tkemali}}
* Tomato preparations:
** [[Tomato jam]]
** [[Tomato paste]]
** [[Tomato purée]]
** [[Tomato sauce]]
** More: [[List of tomato dishes]]
{{div col end}}
{{clear}}

==Notes==
{{notefoot}}

==References==
<references>
<ref name="Cooke">{{Cite book |last=Cooke |first=Mordecai Cubitt |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.214851 |title=British Edible Fungi |date=1891 |publisher=Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Company Limited |location=London |pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.214851/page/n214 201]–206}}</ref>
<ref name="Bell">{{Cite news |last=Bell |first=Annie |date=5 June 1999 |title=Condiments to the Chef |work=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/condiments-to-the-chef-1098328.html |access-date=10 September 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="Branston">{{Cite book |last=Branston |first=Thomas F. |url=https://archive.org/details/handbookpractic00brangoog |title=The Hand-Book of Practical Receipts of Every-Day Use |date=1857 |publisher=Lindsay & Blakiston |location=Philadelphia |pages=[https://archive.org/details/handbookpractic00brangoog/page/n141 148]–149}}</ref>
<ref name="Jurafsky">{{Cite web |last=Jurafsky |first=Dan |date=2 September 2009 |title=Ketchup |url=https://languageoffood.blogspot.com/2009/09/ketchup.html |access-date=10 November 2011 |website=The Language of Food}}</ref>
</references>

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite news |last=Weissmann |first=Dan |date=11 May 2015 |title=Why Are Ketchup Packets So… Unsatisfying? |work=[[Marketplace (radio program)|Marketplace]] |publisher=[[American Public Media]] |agency=I've Always Wondered… (story series) |url=https://www.marketplace.org/topics/business/ive-always-wondered/why-are-ketchup-packets-so-unsatisfying |access-date=9 August 2015}} On the origin of the 9 [[gram|g]] ketchup packet.
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{wiktionary}}
* {{wikiquote-inline}}

{{Condiments}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ketchup| ]]
[[Category:Condiments]]
[[Category:Sauces]]
[[Category:Non-Newtonian fluids]]
[[Category:Australian condiments]]