Ketchup Was Once Used As Medicine

If you don’t know how ketchup, which is rarely disliked, came into being, let us warn you from the beginning, because back then Ketchup has nothing to do with tomatoes.

Imagine a time when most foods were not consumed because they were assumed to be poisonous. Tomatoes were not put in the mouth because they were considered to be like this in the 17th century. Ketchup also served as medicine!

Its origin goes all the way back to China.

In the beginning a ‘fish sauce’ The ketchup used was produced without tomatoes. “Ketchup means tomatoes!” We seem to hear you say. However, at that time, the idea that tomatoes were poisonous food was prevalent, so people did not consume tomatoes.

Ge-thcup and Koe-sheup Ketchup, which is thought to have originated in China, was made by adding fermented soybeans and fish.

In 1736, there was a significant change in the recipe of the sauce.

People began making a sauce by boiling stale beer and fish and then fermenting it. This innovative approach was a step that transformed sauce culture over time. Ketchup became popular when sailors brought this recipe to England. It has evolved more.

Culinary culture of England, further enriched the flavor of this unique sauce. Time passing through various experiments and flavors has further deepened ketchup’s distinctive flavor profile. But there was still no recipe with tomatoes.

The first known tomato-based ketchup was prepared by scientist James Mease in 1812.

This recipe tomato ketchup It magnificently displayed the unique taste he brought to the world. Mease’s recipe was a turning point, along with the invention of ketchup, which increased its popularity.

If only we all knew ketchup as a sauce In the 1830s, it went beyond being just a sauce and became a medicine that promised health. The beginning of this transformation was in 1834 by the American doctor Dr. It was thanks to a bet by John Cook Bennett.

Dr. Bennett claimed that tomato ketchup was good for ailments such as diarrhea, indigestion and jaundice, and even used this mixture. “tomato pill” He started selling under his name.

However, Dr. When Bennett introduced tomato pills, imitators began selling their own tomato pills. This created a conflict in the market.

Unfortunately, some imitators have sold laxatives that do not contain real tomatoes, and this medicine has been proven to be effective against vitamin C deficiency. from scurvy They spread the claim that it would cure all kinds of diseases, including brittle bones.

Because of these unfounded claims, The trend of using tomato ketchup as medicine It collapsed in 1850. Of course, this didn’t mean that ketchup disappeared completely. Of course, someone would develop such a brilliant idea.

That person was Henry Heinz, the inventor of the “Heinz” sauces that we all use even today.

Released in a way that is far from medicine Ketchup took its current form in 1876. Thus, the recipe, which has survived to this day, still maintains its freshness and quality as the first day…

Our other content that may interest you: