How Ketchup And Mustard Became The Ultimate Duo - Tasting Table

"Ketchup's journey to becoming the sweet, tangy tomato-based staple we know today is long and winding. Ketchup was originally made with a surprising ingredient, fermented fish, and was popular across Southeast Asia. Early Western adaptations included wildly different ingredients like mushrooms, walnuts, and even elderberries. Tomatoes only entered the picture in 18th-century America, and because fermented tomatoes didn't store as well as fish or mushrooms, the vinegar, salt, and sugar-heavy recipe we recognize today was developed."

"Meanwhile, mustard's story stretches back to ancient Greece and Rome, where mustard seeds were ground and mixed with wine, vinegar, and olive oil to create early versions of the condiment. The Romans took their mustard mix to France in the 4th century, and later, French settlers brought mustard to North America in the 16th century, but large-scale production didn't take off until the early 1900s, when brands like French's and Gulden's transformed it from a regional specialty into an American pantry essential."

Ketchup began as a fermented fish sauce in Southeast Asia and was adapted in the West with ingredients such as mushrooms, walnuts, and elderberries. Tomatoes became central in 18th-century America; because fermented tomatoes stored poorly, cooks developed vinegar-, salt-, and sugar-heavy recipes that yielded the modern sweet, tangy ketchup. Ketchup appears in about 97% of American households. Mustard originated in ancient Greece and Rome when seeds were ground and mixed with wine, vinegar, and olive oil. Romans carried mustard to France and French settlers brought it to North America; large-scale production arose in the early 1900s with brands like French's and Gulden's, and by mid-20th century both condiments were American staples.

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