Regulation Ketchup
By Patricia Lehnhardt
Rules for ketchup…or is it catsup? The FDA has determined that in order for a product to be called “ketchup” it must be made of strained tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt, onion, garlic and spices. They even say how fast it must flow.
Can you believe it? In fact ketchup didn’t even start out as a tomato product. It was born in China as a fish sauce, called ke-tsiap. After traveling to England by way of traders, they added mushrooms and nuts and when it got to our shores the tomatoes were added. It’s come a long way …only in America! I’ve often read of the rules for foods in other parts of the world, such as the exact way Parma Ham must be produced, or the recipes for certain cheeses to carry the name. It surprises me that anyone cares that much about ketchup. But then again, my editor said it was his vegetable of choice when he was a kid…and my father-in-law eats ketchup sandwiches. Just white bread and ketchup. Americans love their ketchup! It is reported to be in 97% of all households. I know there’s a big bottle in our refrigerator. In 1981 Congress even tried to get ketchup classified as a vegetable in the school lunch program. It didn’t fly…though I’ve seen some school lunch menus that took that idea to heart.
H. J. Heinz is the biggest seller of ketchup. They use a regulation recipe that makes theirs the “real thing”. The company began production in 1876. The original version contained sodium benzoate as a preservative. Harvey W. Wiley debated the safety of using this chemical in food and the recipes were changed. He went on to become the father of the Food and Drug Administration.
So why mess with a good thing? Personally I like my “sauce” to have a bit more bite or spice or chunkiness. Homemade ketchup can be whatever you want it to be. No rules at my house! Along with the first published recipe, I’ve included a couple others that I’ve found interesting. At the end of gardening season it is great to make up a big batch of ketchup to can for the rest of the year. I’ve also developed a small recipe for making in the winter with canned tomatoes. That is, in fact, if you can waver from the regulation sauce.
The first published recipe for ketchup in the U.S. did not include sugar or vinegar, but did have something called Bayn’s Guts. What do you suppose that is? Interesting! Think I’ll stick with that regulation stuff after all!
Taken from "The Sugar House Book", 1801.
Get [the tomatoes] quite ripe on a dry day, squeeze them with your hands till reduced to a pulp, then put half a pound of fine salt to one hundred tomatoes, and boil them for two hours.
Add Bayn's Guts
Stir them to prevent burning.
While hot press them through a fine sieve, with a silverspoon till nought but the skin remains, then add a little mace, 3 nutmegs, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and pepper to taste.
Boil over a slow fire till quite thick, stir all the time.
Bottle when cold.
One hundred tomatoes will make four or five bottles and keep good for two or three years."
Spicy Cranberry Ketchup
(I tried to make this to accompany a loin of venison for a catering job—they didn’t buy the idea---ketchup is suppose to be made out of tomatoes….everyone knows that!)
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 tablespoons minced shallots
12-oz. package fresh or frozen cranberries
3/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the shallots and cook over moderately low heat until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the cranberries, wine, vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and allspice and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, or until the mixture is very thick. Let cool slightly, then mash. Season with salt. Transfer the ketchup to a glass jar and store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
Makes about 2 cups
End of Season Tomato Ketchup
8 quarts Roma tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped sweet red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons salt
2 cups cider vinegar
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon whole allspice berries
1 stick cinnamon, broken
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
Chop the tomatoes coarsely and boil until soft, about 30 minutes. Measure out 4 quarts of pulp into a large cooking pot. Add the onion, pepper, celery, garlic, salt and vinegar. Bring to a boil. Tie together in a cheesecloth: mustard seeds, allspice, cinnamon, peppercorns, bay leaf, cloves, coriander, celery seed and pepper flakes. Add to the tomato mixture along with the sugars. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Remove the spice bag and strain through a large sieve. Taste and season as needed. Reheat and can following a water bath method. 10 minutes for half-pints and 15 minutes for pints.
Makes about 4 pints
Everyday Winter Ketchup
1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup minced onion
2 tablespoons finely minced red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1-inch cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
In a medium pot place the tomatoes, vinegar, onion, garlic, brown sugar, salt and chili powder and celery seed. Tie up the cinnamon stick and cloves in cheesecloth and add to the pot. Simmer until thickened. Remove and discard the spice bag, cool and store in the refrigerator.
Makes about 1 cup
