Ketchup

To date, ketchup is considered to be the most popular sauce. It is used with meat dishes, pizza, pasta, various salads, used to make other sauces, and more. In fact, ketchup has long been a universal seasoning, widespread throughout the world.

A bit of history

It turns out that initially the tomatoes had nothing to do with this sauce. In the distant XVII century, China invented the sauce, which was based on a piquant and aromatic pickle, often used by the Chinese to marinate fish and seafood. The word ke tsiap itself, translated from one of the Chinese dialects, sounds like “fish sauce.” Along with the development of trade, this marinade, generously flavored with mushrooms and spices, came from China to England, where it was successfully used to improve the taste of anchovies and oysters. Soon, he became so firmly established in everyday life that his name became a household name and became attached to the sauce created on the basis of this Chinese marinade. They began to add garlic, walnuts, beans and even wine. In England, he began to be called in his own way – catchup. This sauce was so successful that it quickly captured the whole of Europe. It was quickly modified, in large cases due to the fact that specific oriental spices and spices were hard to get on the continent, and the cooks were forced to look for a replacement.

Adding tomatoes to this seasoning is mentioned for the first time at the beginning of the XIX century. The first printed recipe for this ketchup is Sandy Edison’s recipe, a little later he flashed on the pages of a James Meese cookbook. Mary Randolph, in her “Housewives from Virginia,” also leads one of the recipes for a tomato variation of the famous ketchup.

Later, when in the USA the question arose about the use of sodium benzonate preservative in the food industry, many industrialists began to try to get ketchup based on thick tomato paste. One of the very first inventors of this method was a large entrepreneur, the founder of the famous Heinz brand, Henry J. Heinz. Unlike tomato juice, which was added to ketchup earlier, the paste gave a density and prolonged the period of use of the sauce for a long time. Soon, it was the density that became the highlight of ketchup, and to achieve even greater ductility, many manufacturers began to add starch there. But be that as it may, the Heinz company is still the largest producer of ketchup.

Chemical composition and types of ketchup

Today, the classic composition of ketchup is a sauce of tomatoes, water, vinegar and spices. As spices, cloves, onions, cinnamon, mustard, black pepper, paprika, nutmeg, ginger, fennel, bay leaf and many others are most often used. Instead of whole tomatoes, tomato paste, or tomato puree, is used. For sweetness, add a little sugar or sugar syrup. Cheaper types of ketchup incorporate a variety of flavors, thickeners, stabilizers and flavor enhancers. Some manufacturers use whole spices in its manufacture, while others use ground spices. There are also artificially created spices, which are also successfully used in the food industry.

There are many types of ketchup:

• tomato ketchup;
• ketchup for kebabs;
• spicy ketchup chili;
• spicy ketchup;
• Ketchup for national cuisine.

Here you can also add a variety of ketchups with additives: ketchup with pickled cucumbers, with garlic, with mushrooms, with apples, with hot or bell peppers, and so on. The leader in food additives is chili ketchup – with the addition of hot red pepper or its varieties. The explanation is simple – there are a lot of thrill-seekers among the consumers of this delicious sauce, besides the addition of this wonderful product brings with it a number of valuable vitamins to ketchup: A, C, K and P. What makes this tomato sauce more tasty and healthy …

The calorific value of the product varies depending on the constituent components. On average, it is about 100 kcal per 100 grams. It is rich in carbohydrates (26,2 grams) and water (69,16 grams). But fats and proteins are low in it, respectively 0,2 and 1,3 grams.

Natural tomato ketchup is valued for its high content of the antioxidant lycopene (14308 mcg). It includes minerals such as potassium (315 mg), calcium (16 mg), sodium (907 mg), magnesium (15 mg), phosphorus (28 mg), manganese (0,099 mg), selenium (0,3 μg ), zinc (0,24 mg), iron (0,41 mg), copper (130 μg) and fluorine (15,1 μg). The product contains B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, choline, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine and folates), ascorbic acid, as well as tocopherol (vitamin E) and vitamins A and PP. It contains both fatty acids and sterols, as well as some essential and essential amino acids.

Useful Properties

One of the main useful qualities of natural ketchup prepared using the impeccable technology is its high content of coloring pigment lycopene. This substance has an antitumor effect and significantly reduces the risk of diseases of the cardiovascular system. It is worth noting here that during the heat treatment of tomatoes, the amount of this useful antioxidant not only does not decrease, but, on the contrary, increases. And after fifteen minutes of intense heating at high temperatures, its concentration in the product increases about one and a half times.

Due to the fact that the composition of natural ketchup contains a number of useful vitamins and minerals, it acquires valuable properties necessary for the human body. For example, a high content of vitamin C, can withstand colds, and B vitamins can help to work the nervous system and protect against depression and stress. Moreover, serotonin, the so-called happiness hormone, as well as tyramine, which when released into the human body, also produces this hormone, is present in properly prepared, high-quality ketchup. Therefore, together with the vitamin composition, the presence of these hormones turns tomato sauce into a natural antidepressant that can improve mood, relieve depression and restore mental balance.

Harm and Hazardous Properties

Natural ketchup made from high-quality products, without adding chemicals, can be dangerous for people prone to allergies, as there is a risk of allergic reactions due to the incorporation of various spices and spices. Pregnant women are also advised not to abuse this product, as it can provoke the development of allergies in newborn babies.

Of course, you should not use tomato sauces, especially with the addition of hot pepper, to people who suffer from problems with the digestive system. With its use even in small quantities, it can provoke attacks of gastritis and peptic ulcer.

Recent research in the field of childbirth has shown that the tomato concentrate from which ketchups are made contains harmful substances. They negatively affect the male body in terms of the reproduction of offspring. Therefore, families planning a child are not recommended to eat this product.

A huge amount of dyes, thickeners, preservatives and other various food additives contained in low-quality tomato sauces, with regular use, can lead to irreparable damage to the body. It is proved that they can even cause cancer.

High sugar content and modified starch contained in ketchup will harm people with metabolic disorders and those who are overweight.

In Russia, ketchup is prohibited for school meals and meals in institutions of secondary and vocational education.

What to give preference to

Of course, a quality product. An ideal option would be one that contains only tomato paste, spices, salt, water and vinegar. In premium and extra class sauces, the tomato content is about 40-50%, in the highest category ketchups it does not exceed 30%, but if not more than 15% it is economy class ketchup, unfortunately the most common product in our stores. Adding acetic acid to the composition of a quality sauce is quite acceptable and will not be able to harm the body, as it is contained there in small doses, which is absolutely harmless.

The color of ketchup also has an important role. It should be remembered that during the heat treatment the bright red color of the tomatoes darkens somewhat, so if the product in front of you is unnaturally red, then not much tomato paste is used in the cooking process. And most likely, they used dyes and preservatives. Also should be alerted and too dark color – probably in such a ketchup contains additives in the form of plum or apple sauce.

The consistency can also be judged on the quality of the product. You need to pay attention to the fact that it was quite thick, in the process of shaking the bottle did not appear gurgling sounds. If you buy ketchup in glass containers, you need to note the absence of gas bubbles. Good quality ketchup when serving does not spread and should be a thick bulk mass.

The best packaging, not only for this sauce, but also for any others, is still glass. It is environmentally friendly, and does not emit any harmful substances. In addition, a product is visible through it, which makes it possible to immediately assess its quality.

Generally, buying ketchup in stores should carefully examine the product label. In the composition of high-quality natural sauce should not be:

• dyes;
• preservatives;
• sweeteners;
• flavor enhancers;
• thickeners;
• any food additives marked E;
• fruit or vegetable puree;
• starch.

It is advisable to pay attention to the fact that the product complies with GOST. And of course, it is worth remembering that a high-quality product prepared according to standard technology and classical recipe will have a rather high price.

Cooking ketchup at home

The safest to eat will be exactly the ketchup that you prepare at home. You can be sure about the quality of the products used, the technology of preparation and the environmental cleanliness of production.

For cooking you will need:

• tomatoes – 2 kg;
• sweet red pepper – 500 grams;
• onion – 500 grams;
• sugar – 1 glass;
• salt;
• vegetable oil – 200 grams;
• ground black pepper – 1 tablespoon;
• mustard – 1 tablespoon.

Pass all ingredients through a meat grinder, add spices and mix. Put to cook for about an hour and a half. You can try the prepared sauce before sending it to cook. Some love pungency, some piquancy. At this stage, you can add hot chili peppers, and garlic, and various other spices that seem necessary. It is possible and even necessary to experiment in the process of preparing sauces, because it is in this way that you can prepare a unique, incomparable, exclusive dish.

Conclusions

Ketchup is the most popular and most common sauce in the world. Both adults and children love him. For kids, even separate products are now produced, prepared only from quality ingredients. Coming to us from mysterious China, he conquered European hearts with his simplicity and unique taste. Today, there are many varieties of this sauce: there is for both spicy lovers and fans of savory tastes, you can choose with various additives and the classic version. Any gourmet will be able to satisfy his refined taste. In addition, a natural product contains an antioxidant that is quite useful for the human body – lycopene. This valuable substance has unique properties: it fights bad cholesterol, improves the cardiovascular system and even helps with cancer.

The only thing worth noting: when buying a ready-made sauce in the store, you should give preference to products of extra class or premium class to be sure of the purity, naturalness and quality of ketchup. Well, if suddenly there was no such product in the store, you should not despair. It is quite possible to make a very tasty and healthy sauce at home, and it will be absolutely not worse than the most expensive and high-quality product.