BattleNymph
02-16-2007, 12:40 PM
I propose here that we post recipes and perhaps history of various condiments or articles that are NOT the main course, but ingredients. I'll start with ketchup:
Ketchup history
The word ketchup is derived from the Chinese ke-tsiap, a pickled fish sauce. It made its way to Malaysia where it became kechap and ketjap in Indonesia. Seventeenth century English sailors first discovered the delights of this Chinese condiment and brought it west. Ketchup was first mentioned in print around 1690. The Chinese version is actually more akin to a soy or Worcestershire sauce. It gradually went through various changes, particularly with the addition of tomatoes in the 1700s, and by the nineteenth century, ketchup was also known as tomato soy. Early tomato versions were much thinner and more like a soy or Worcestershire sauce. F. & J. Heinz Company began selling tomato ketchup in 1876. By the end of the nineteenth century, tomato ketchup was the primary type of ketchup, and the decriptor of tomato was gradually dropped. Catsup and catchup are acceptable spellings used interchangably with ketchup, but ketchup is the way you will find it listed in the majority of cookbooks.
Government standards for ketchup
Government standard regulations for catsup basically state catsup includes: cooked and strained tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt, onion or garlic flavors, and spices such as cinnamon, cloves, mace, allspice, nutmeg, ginger,and cayenne. Old grading standards dating back to 1953 dictated that ketchup that flowed 9 centimeters in thirty seconds received the Grade A rating. The standards were revised in 1991 so that now Grade A ketchup need only ooze 3 to 7 centimeters in thirty seconds to make the grade. Yes, the old ketchup used to be much thicker.
And the Recipe:
Tomato Ketchup
Ingredients
10 pounds tomato, dead-ripe
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 large onions, chopped
1-1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp peppercorns
1 tsp whole allspice
1 tsp whole cloves
5 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp cayenne
4 tbsp brown sugar, packed firm
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
Instructions
Cut tomatoes in quarters and puree them in food processor along with bell pepper. Strain puree through a coarse sieve to remove skins and seeds. (You can dump the puree into a colander and work it through with your hands until there is nothing left in the colander but a dryish pulp of skins and seeds.) Now puree onions, combine with tomato and pepper puree, and pour into a large stainless steel or enameled kettle. Cook and stir occasionally over low heat until it is reduced by about a third and is considerably thicker.
Meanwhile put garlic, peppercorns, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and celery seed into the vinegar in a small pot and simmer covered for 1/2 hour to steep spices in the vinegar. Pour about half the spiced vinegar through a tea strainer into the thickened tomato mixture. Stir. Also add sugar, mustard, cayenne, and salt at this point.
Here is where the tasting comes in. You can adjust any of these ingredients to suit you. You can add more spiced vinegar. Or a little plain vinegar. More or less sugar, mustard, cayenne. Just sort of tinker with it. Cook it some more, stirring often, until it looks like catsup should look. Taste and adjust again. You may notice that it looks slightly curdled. Not to worry. Hit it a lick in the food processor. Smooths right out. Pour into sterile jars leaving 1/8" of head space. Process in a boiling water bath 15 minutes.
http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blcon13.htm for non-tomatoe ketchups.
Ketchup history
The word ketchup is derived from the Chinese ke-tsiap, a pickled fish sauce. It made its way to Malaysia where it became kechap and ketjap in Indonesia. Seventeenth century English sailors first discovered the delights of this Chinese condiment and brought it west. Ketchup was first mentioned in print around 1690. The Chinese version is actually more akin to a soy or Worcestershire sauce. It gradually went through various changes, particularly with the addition of tomatoes in the 1700s, and by the nineteenth century, ketchup was also known as tomato soy. Early tomato versions were much thinner and more like a soy or Worcestershire sauce. F. & J. Heinz Company began selling tomato ketchup in 1876. By the end of the nineteenth century, tomato ketchup was the primary type of ketchup, and the decriptor of tomato was gradually dropped. Catsup and catchup are acceptable spellings used interchangably with ketchup, but ketchup is the way you will find it listed in the majority of cookbooks.
Government standards for ketchup
Government standard regulations for catsup basically state catsup includes: cooked and strained tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt, onion or garlic flavors, and spices such as cinnamon, cloves, mace, allspice, nutmeg, ginger,and cayenne. Old grading standards dating back to 1953 dictated that ketchup that flowed 9 centimeters in thirty seconds received the Grade A rating. The standards were revised in 1991 so that now Grade A ketchup need only ooze 3 to 7 centimeters in thirty seconds to make the grade. Yes, the old ketchup used to be much thicker.
And the Recipe:
Tomato Ketchup
Ingredients
10 pounds tomato, dead-ripe
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 large onions, chopped
1-1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp peppercorns
1 tsp whole allspice
1 tsp whole cloves
5 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp cayenne
4 tbsp brown sugar, packed firm
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
Instructions
Cut tomatoes in quarters and puree them in food processor along with bell pepper. Strain puree through a coarse sieve to remove skins and seeds. (You can dump the puree into a colander and work it through with your hands until there is nothing left in the colander but a dryish pulp of skins and seeds.) Now puree onions, combine with tomato and pepper puree, and pour into a large stainless steel or enameled kettle. Cook and stir occasionally over low heat until it is reduced by about a third and is considerably thicker.
Meanwhile put garlic, peppercorns, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and celery seed into the vinegar in a small pot and simmer covered for 1/2 hour to steep spices in the vinegar. Pour about half the spiced vinegar through a tea strainer into the thickened tomato mixture. Stir. Also add sugar, mustard, cayenne, and salt at this point.
Here is where the tasting comes in. You can adjust any of these ingredients to suit you. You can add more spiced vinegar. Or a little plain vinegar. More or less sugar, mustard, cayenne. Just sort of tinker with it. Cook it some more, stirring often, until it looks like catsup should look. Taste and adjust again. You may notice that it looks slightly curdled. Not to worry. Hit it a lick in the food processor. Smooths right out. Pour into sterile jars leaving 1/8" of head space. Process in a boiling water bath 15 minutes.
http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blcon13.htm for non-tomatoe ketchups.