Ketchup. We love it.

Ketchup's Unsavory Secret History

By Piper Weiss, Shine Staff | Summer Kick-Off 

Ketchup. We love it. But do we really 

know it?

An estimated 97 percent of American households have a bottle in their fridges right now. Most people like Heinz' original recipe, which consists of tomatoes, vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, salt, spice, onion powder and some other "natural flavorings" the company isn't required to list. Heinz recentlyre-introduced its limited edition ketchup with balsamic vinegar in time for burger season for all you fancy types. But before Heinz, ketchup, or even catsup, there was katchop. The Chinese condiment, from which the burger topping originated, was nothing more than shellfish brine.

A mixture of sea creatures, soaked for days in pickling vinegar and spices, was the basis for the french fry dip we know and love. When British explorers caught wind of it in Singapore in the 1700s, they brought it back to their own Western European kitchens. The result was the first ketchup recipe: a mixture of vinegar, shallots, spices, horseradish, and get this, ANCHOVIES. 

Gizmodo's Rachel Swaby dug up the first English recipe on record published in the 1727 cookbook, Compleat Housewife, which called for 12 to 14 anchovies and zero tomatoes.

"Way back it was more like a fish sauce than our condiment today… and maybe really gross," writes Swaby. "But apparently people didn't think so, because cookbook authors were reprinting the above recipe well into the 19th century." 

Ketchup made from pickled oyster juice was another popular dipping sauce. It wasn't until the 1820s that tomatoes got involved in the mix, and slowly muscled out sea creatures. Thank Heinz, which brought the bottled version to homes in the 1870s. 

Not that the brand has had a perfect record. Remember not too long ago, when Heinz introduced 'funky purple' and 'blastin' green' EZ Squirts ketchup? I'll take ground anchovies over Blue No. 1 and Red No. 3 any day.