The condiment migrated to America and, in 1874, and "The Universal method Book" contained recipes for it, Green notes. Manufacture ketchup took hours and each house had its own version of it.

According to Lynn Kerrigan, autor of "Everything You all the time Wanted to Know About Ketchup," posted on the Global epicurean website, the word ketchup comes from the Chinese word ke-tsiap. As the method migrated the names changed: catsup, kotchup, kitsip, catsoup, and others. The Heinz company started Manufacture ketchup in 1872 and the method has never changed.

Ketchup has come to be a household staple. Americans slather it on hamburgers, French fries, hot dogs, and meat loaf. It is an primary ingredient in barbecue sauce and a incommunicable ingredient in Chinese stir-fry. Some salad dressings also consist of ketchup.

Does the homemade product taste like commercial? The only way to find out was to make ketchup. I found several recipes on the Internet and all contained tomatoes, onions, mustard, cinnamon, cloves, and sugar. David d'Anjou submitted a method to the Cd Kitchen website. Though it takes several hours to make his recipe, he says "you can do other things at the same time and the corollary is great tasting ketchup for the year!"

I started with an Epicurious website recipe, which uses canned tomatoes, a step that saves you all the muss and fuss of peeling. Since I didn't have any fresh onions I supplanted dehydrated. Instead of whole spices I used ground ones. My ketchup had more depth of flavor than industrial brands. Homemade ketchup -- the kind that hasn't been canned -- will keep in the refrigerator for 10-14 days.

Ingredients

4 28-ounce cans of stewed tomatoes, drained
4 tablespoons dehydrated chopped onions
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon celery seed
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Method

Open the canned tomatoes and drain juice into a bowl. Save this juice for soups, stews, and sauces. Put the tomatoes into a stainless steel kettle and crush with a potato masher. (Be careful, because juice will squirt out.) Add all remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for two hours, or until most of the liquid is gone. Take off cinnamon stick. Puree blend with an immersion blender or food processor. Return to kettle and simmer over low heat until thick, about two hours. Cool (the ketchup with thicken as it cools) and ladle into jars. Makes about 7 cups. For less ketchup, make half the recipe.

Copyright 2011 by Harriet Hodgson