How Ketchup Got Thick

Gastropod

Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley

Arts, Science, History, Food

4.7 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 20 July 2022

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ketchup is the crowd-pleaser of condiments—a ubiquitous accessory on dinner tables throughout the United States, and, increasingly, the world. But this kid-friendly classic actually has its roots in a much funkier food: fermented fish sauce! So how did the salty, pungent, amber-colored seasoning that gives Southeast Asian cuisine its characteristic flavor turn into a thick, red sauce typically found atop hamburgers and French fries? It's a saga that involves the fall of the Roman empire, eighteenth-century fish sauce knock-offs made from green walnuts and vinegar, and the marketing genius of one Henry J. Heinz. Listen in now for that story, plus the 1981 ketchup scandal that shook the Reagan White House, in our love song to ketchup's weird backstory and underrated culinary sophistication. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	People are still talking about yesterday's bombshell hearing about former president Trump.
0:07.9	We heard that at one time Trump got so angry that he threw his plate at the wall and they
0:12.6	got ketchup all over the place.
0:15.0	And apparently it's inspired a new product.
0:17.8	What watch this?
0:19.1	Say goodbye to messy cleanups and hello to the Trump Magical Racer, the best way to clean
0:25.4	food off your wall like a steak with ketchup or spaghetti with ketchup.
0:32.0	Even chili cheese dogs with ketchup.
0:34.8	The Trump Magical Racer wipes it all away.
0:37.9	And best of all, when you're done you can flush it down the toilet like a classified document.
0:42.5	Bye bye!
0:43.5	The Trump Magical Racer and he's getting sued by Mr. Clayton.
0:47.3	Normally we would never air anything related to this person on our show but in this case
0:51.8	we're making an exception because of ketchup.
0:54.9	This is just the most recent news in ketchup's illustrious history.
0:59.6	Definitely not its finest hour although there have been scandals before.
1:04.4	But we still love it here at Gastropod, the podcast that looks at food through the lens
1:08.6	of science and history.
1:09.6	I'm Nicola Twilly.
1:11.0	And I'm Cynthia Graber and as an American I've been eating ketchup probably nearly as long
1:15.9	as I've been eating solid foods.
1:17.6	Whereas I used to think it was an atrocity.
	...

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