As you might have noticed from the previous posts, I like to investigate the history of food, mainly things that we take for granted today. How they came out or whether there is a story behind always amuses me.
So for today's post I chose the three condiments that people use almost on a daily basis. I am pretty sure that these three condiments are by far the most widely used condiments in the world (I don't know how they compare to Eastern condiments like soy sauce or hot sauce, something I need to check).
Please keep in mind that these condiments are never in the same league with major gastronomical sauces (with the exception of a proper mayonnaise). As I said in the beginning, today just something light. Maybe we can have a dedicated post on real culinary sauces in the near future.
Let's begin with ketchup. I guess everyone has a bottle of ketchup in their fridges to go with their french fries and burgers. Unfortunately I have also witnessed people pouring ketchup on their pasta, but what the hell, in matters of taste there can be no disputes. Some others, like the President Nixon, ate it pouring over cottage cheese and Japanese on rice. There is even a rumor in the US that they make ketchup ice cream...
Food historians believe that the ancestor of ketchup is a salty fish sauce called the "ketsiap" that British and Dutch sailors who have traveled to China in the 17th century have come across. This sauce was somewhat like soy sauce or oyster sauce. British people have created many sauces that have derived from ketsiap later, some from mushrooms, some from anchovies, oysters and even walnuts. The word was first used in 1690 but it was used as "catchup" and then transformed to "ketchup" in 1711.
The first ketchup recipe in history dates back to 1727 and it is mentioned in a book named "The Compleat Housewife" by Eliza Smith. According to this recipe, the ketchup of the era was made with anchovies, shallots, vinegar, wine and sweet spices.
The first recipe similar to today's ketchup, made with tomatoes, came 85 years later in Nova Scotia from James Mease. Initially he called his sauce the "Love Apple". In the following years ketchup became quite popular in both continents with a major difference. Americans were using tomatoes for ketchup and the British were using mushrooms as their main ingredient. It is said that the first commercial ketchup was marketed by an American farmer in 1830. He sold his bottles with a price of 33 cents each. In the same years, Americans started to export tomato ketchup to Britain and they called their product as "tomato chutney" in order to differentiate it from the British ketchup.
The biggest success story behind ketchup is definitely related with Henry John Heinz. By the year 1872, he had already founded his company specializing in pickled food. He was quick enough to see the opportunity and wanted to invest in the ketchup production business and that made his company one of the biggest condiment companies in the world.
Here's an Heinz trick to pour the ketchup easily from the glass bottle
Our second condiment of the day is mustard which is an older condiment compared to ketchup. In it's simplest form is a mixture of crushed mustard seeds and water. It dates back to 40 AD and believed that it was created by the Romans who mixed unfermented grape juice (must) with grounded mustard seeds (probably from Asia) to make "mustum ardens" (burning must) which then transformed to mustard in the later ages. Historically it is not very clear whether the Romans used this new condiment themselves but it is a fact that they introduced it to the Gauls in France. Food history books mention that the mustard production by monks in monasteries in France was a common practice. Same books also write that the food stalls in Paris as early as in the 13th century, offered mustard to their customers. This was the case until the 18th century. However mustard lost its popularity after the introduction of new spices to Europe from America and Asia.
"Grey Poupon" - one of the first producers of Dijon mustard
During the first years of the 19th century, mustard again began to be a popular condiment, especially in France, with the creation of the Dijon mustard that has a less acidic flavor. It is one of the best selling mustard types in the world even today.
Another country that was specialized in mustard making was England. Jeremiah Colman, who was already a producer of flour, began to fine ground the mustard seeds in 1804. The company he founded is still one of the largest mustard producers in the world.
As we all know, proper mayonnaise is a sauce made with olive oil, egg yolks and lemon juice (or vinegar). It is an emulsion, meaning that it is a mixture of certain ingredients that can not be combined together (like oil and water). The magic here is created with the help of the egg yolks.
There are numerous arguments about the history of mayonnaise but the one that has been widely accepted is that it was created in the town of Mahon in Menorca, Spain. It is believed to be an invention of the French chef of the Duc de Richelieu in 1756. While the Duc was defeating the British at port Mahon, his chef was creating a victory feast that included mayonnaise. The real world wide recognition occurred after the Mahon families that moved to America who were already familiar with the condiment.
Let's end our post with a recipe of home-made mayonnaise.
Ingredients;
- 2 very fresh egg yolks
- 350 ml olive oil
- 2-3 table spoons lemon juice or white wine vinegar
- 1 tea spoon Dijon mustard
- salt & pepper
Put the egg yolks and a pinch of salt into a large glass cup. Mix well. Start pouring the 1/4th of the olive oil slowly and steadily into the mixture and continue mixing. Now pour the lemon juice or the vinegar without stopping the mixing process. Now you can again start pouring the remaining olive oil. If the mix is too thick you might add some more lemon juice or vinegar. As a last step mix the mustard and the pepper. Voila, your home-made mayonnaise is ready without any additives or junk preservatives.
Bon-appétit!
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