Ketchup is a sweet and savory tomato-based condiment made with tomato paste, sugar, vinegar and spices such as cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Friend to hamburgers, French fries, hot dogs and other all-American favorites, it is also an ingredient in barbecue sauce and Thousand Island dressing (mixed with mayonnaise). The British like to use it to garnish their bacon sandwiches, among other things. And it is surprisingly popular in France.

Ketchup is also a more general term for sauce, and the Brits make something called mushroom ketchup. Early ketchup from East Asia (fish sauce with added nuts, anchovies, mushrooms and other flavorings) was introduced to Europe by English and Dutch sailors. Tomatoes were eventually used to make the sauce in New England in the late 1700s, and by the 1800s, recipes for tomato ketchup started showing up in American cookbooks, including the popular The Virginia Housewife, written by Thomas Jefferson's cousin Mary Randolph.

A certain Jonas Yerks (or Yerkes) is said to be the godfather of the American ketchup movement, who was selling it nationwide by 1837. (Heinz came along in 1876.)

Recipe: Fried Green Tomato Salad With Sweet Chili Dressing (Steamy Kitchen)
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