Tomato ketchup
Who would think a condiment could be used as a political tool? During former United States president Ronald Reagan's term in the early 1980s, it was suggested tomato ketchup be classified as a vegetable to save money when feeding subsidised meals to schoolchildren. Twenty years later, supporters of President George W. Bush are selling bottles of 'W Ketchup' so Republicans have an alternative to the Heinz brand, which could inadvertently support Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry, who is married to Teresa Heinz, an heir to the company.
It is believed the word ketchup is based on the Malay word (which was in turn based on the Chinese) for tomato sauce. In the past, ketchup wasn't necessarily made from tomatoes. Ketchup was created as a way of preserving everything from fermented fish or oysters to mushrooms or walnuts. How (or why) it came to be associated almost entirely (in the west, anyway) with a thick, sweet, spiced tomato condiment is unclear. Kecap in Malaysia and Indonesia refers to a variety of bottled sauces.
In the US, tomato ketchup outsells every other condiment - it's slathered on hamburgers and hot dogs, used as a dip for French fries and as a base for barbecue marinades. But sales are declining, so manufacturers are trying to appeal to children by also making it purple and green.
Tomato ketchup is also used in Asian cuisine, although it's not always obvious. At cheap 'chop suey' joints, ketchup is mixed with white vinegar and canned pineapple to make a version of sweet and sour sauce that bears the faintest resemblance to the real thing, which is usually based on fermented sour plums.
If you're having a retro-food party, make an old-fashioned crab Louie or shrimp cocktail. For crab Louie, mix ketchup with mayonnaise, prepared horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, minced spring onions and fresh lemon juice. Add salt (it won't need much) and pepper to taste. Toss gently with cooked crabmeat then pile on a bed of shredded iceberg lettuce and serve with lemon wedges. The dipping sauce for shrimp cocktail is similar - mix ketchup with Worcestershire, Tabasco, fresh lemon juice and a bit of cayenne. Boil large shrimp (or prawns) and remove the heads, shells and veins but leave the tail intact. Put a scoop of the cocktail sauce in a martini glass (or ramekin) and hook the shrimp over the rim of the glass so the tails are on the outside. Serve with a lemon wedge.
