The origins of Ketchup go way back to ancient times. The Chinese were probably the first to prepare a sauce called
ke-tsiap used as a marinade for fish and shellfish.
At the end of the 17th century this sauce was introduced into Europe by the British, who had come across it in Malaysia, and adapted it to the ingredients available in Britain.
Long distance navigators from Maine took it to the United States by, but tomatoes were not introduced to the recipe until the 1790s.
The Ketchup we know today was invented by the American Henry Heinz in 1876.
© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
