Ketchup

Like in the US and other countries, in Brazil ketchup is also one of the most popular condiments. I find it truly delicious with French fries (even though in France they prefer it with mayonnaise), burgers and to be used to make sauces or salsas. But, lets face it, some people really overuse this thick red sauce and throw it on everything they eat, making all food taste the same. And that’s not very gourmet to say the least! In Sao Paulo we make fun of the cariocas (people from Rio de Janeiro) because they eat their not so good pizza with ketchup. Here I’m sharing some information about this condiment and a great recipe for a salsa made with it to upgrade your burger! Attention: Not your pizza!!! Please!
The source of the word ketchup may be the Malay word kechap, possibly taken into Malay from the Cantonese dialect of Chinese. But kechap was referred to a kind of sauce that contained fish brine, herbs, and spices. The sauce seems to have emigrated from China to Europe where it was made with locally available ingredients such as the juice of mushrooms or walnuts. The first ketchup recipe was printed in 1727 in Elizabeth Smith's The Complete Housewife, and called for anchovies, shallots, vinegar, white wine, cloves, ginger, mace, nutmeg, pepper, and lemon peel. Eighty-five years later American James Mease published the first tomato ketchup recipe. He attempted to give it more cachet by stating that French cooking influenced the variation, although there is no proof of it.
Ketchup was sold nationwide in the US by 1837 thanks to Jonas Yerkes, who sold the product in quart and pint bottles. He used the refuse of tomato canning-skins, cores, green tomatoes, and lots of sugar and vinegar. Other small companies followed him and by 1900 there were 100 manufacturers of ketchup. The big success came in 1872 when HJ Heinz added ketchup to his line of pickled products and introduced it at the Philadelphia fair.

Ketchup Salsa:
3/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp chilli sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red onion, minced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup horseradish
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce to taste
Method: Mix all ingredients and keep chilled until needed.