Ketchup, often considered a staple of American cuisine, raises questions about its classification as a sauce or condiment. While sauces are typically cooked and complement other foods, condiments are meant to be added according to individual taste at the table. Ketchup is mostly used as a condiment in modern America, added after cooking and served on the side. Despite this, it is prepared similarly to a sauce. Its unique identity stems from a blend of its preparation method and the way it is commonly utilized.
In culinary terms, sauces are cooked or blended preparations meant to complement other foods, while condiments are applied at the table, according to individual taste.
Ketchup, in modern American use, fits the profile of a condiment since it is added after cooking and tailored to taste and served on the side.
Ketchup's identity lives in the tension between method and function, shaped by how we use it more than what it contains.
Its ambiguity as a sauce or condiment is partly explained by its history of adaptation.
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