Tomato ketchup

The world's most consumed condiment: ripe tomatoes cooked down with vinegar, sugar, allspice, clove and onion to a thick, sweet-acidic sauce: the preparation that Heinz industrialised in 1876 and that now appears on every table on earth, here made properly at home

Origin: United States (derived from British mushroom ketchup and Asian fish sauces)

From the journey of Tomato.

Tomato ketchup has one of the most complex etymological and culinary histories of any condiment. The word 'ketchup' derives from the Cantonese 'ke-tsiap' or Hokkien 'kê-chiap': a fermented fish sauce used in southern China and Southeast Asia, exported to Britain by sailors in the late 17th century. British cooks adapted the name for their own fermented condiments, making 'ketchup' from mushrooms, walnuts, anchovies and oysters throughout the 18th century. American cooks adopted the term and began applying it to tomatoes in the early 19th century. Henry John Heinz introduced his bottled tomato ketchup in 1876 in Pittsburgh; and this single product transformed the condiment into the global phenomenon it is today. Heinz ketchup is now sold in over 140 countries; the company produces 650 million bottles annually. The recipe is a study in the alchemy of slow cooking: raw tomatoes, cooked down for hours with vinegar, sugar and spices, transform into something that tastes entirely unlike any of its individual ingredients. The acetic acid of the vinegar preserves; the sugar balances; the allspice and clove provide the characteristic warm-spiced background. Homemade ketchup bears the same relationship to Heinz as a handmade tortilla to a supermarket flour tortilla; recognisably the same thing, but in a different class.

Ingredients

Base

1.5 kg very ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped (or 2 x 400g cans whole plum tomatoes)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tbsp olive oil

Seasoning

100 ml cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
80 g soft brown sugar
1 tsp fine sea salt

Spices

0.5 tsp ground allspice
0.25 tsp ground cloves
0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
0.5 tsp smoked paprika
0.25 tsp cayenne pepper

Depth

1 tbsp tomato paste

Method

Gently fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil in a large saucepan for 8 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down completely.
Blend the tomato-onion mixture completely smooth with a stick blender or jug blender. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing firmly to extract maximum liquid. Discard the skins and seeds.
Add the vinegar, brown sugar, salt and all the spices to the sieved tomato liquid. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Cook uncovered over medium-low heat for 45–60 minutes, stirring every 5–10 minutes, until the ketchup has reduced by roughly half and has the consistency of commercial ketchup; thick, glossy, and coating a spoon. The colour should be a deep, dark red.
Taste and adjust: more sugar for sweetness, more vinegar for tang, more salt, more cayenne for heat. The ketchup should taste bright, sweet-sour, spiced and deeply tomatoey; richer and more complex than the commercial product.
Pour into sterilised glass jars or bottles while hot. Seal and allow to cool. Store refrigerated for up to 6 weeks. Alternatively, water-bath can for shelf-stable storage of up to 1 year.

Notes

The spice combination in this recipe (allspice, clove, cinnamon, smoked paprika) is designed to produce a ketchup that is recognisably in the Heinz family but more complex. For the exact Heinz flavour profile, increase the allspice and reduce the smoked paprika.

The Gastrographer

Name: Tomato ketchup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 1.5 kg very ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped (or 2 x 400g cans whole plum tomatoes); 1 medium onion, roughly chopped; 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped; 1 tbsp olive oil; 100 ml cider vinegar or red wine vinegar; 80 g soft brown sugar; 1 tsp fine sea salt; 0.5 tsp ground allspice; 0.25 tsp ground cloves; 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon; 0.5 tsp smoked paprika; 0.25 tsp cayenne pepper; 1 tbsp tomato paste

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control