Ketchup; that red, sweet, tomato and corn syrup sauce with a hint of cloves, some salt, and a couple of other things is pretty good stuff, but due to the high corn syrup amount, not very heathy. But there is a place in my pantry, and on my table for the upbiquitous sauce.
In the Phillipines, ketchup is made from bananas. And in reality, kectchup is to sauce in Asian and tropical islands what salsa is to South America. It comes in many and wonderous varieties and is made from many different things. Only in the U.S. has it become so standardized.
I enjoy U.S style ketchups with the right hot dogs, and spicy-brown mustards with especially good hot dogs. Sometimes I'll put it on a burger, and sometimes not, as my mood dictates.
The same is true of everything I put ketchup on. I don't use it exclusively, and sometimes it's used in combination with other condiments.
I've seen people put U.S. style ketchup on some pretty strange things, like french toast, ham sandwiches, ice cream, pickles, etc. But then again, I've seen people dip their french fries into some very strange things as well.
Food is something different to all people. But there are a few things, that in my humble opinion, scream for ketchup. These include breaded shrimp (but horseradish has to be mixed into the ketchup), kielbasa and polish sausage, and grilled batwurst sausage. The sweetness of the ketchup ballances the saltiness of the sausage, and marrys well with the crunchy breadding on the shrimp. Oh, and fresh brook trout, dusted with flour and salt, and pan fried until golden brown need ketchup, sometimes. If you haven't had fresh perch fillets, cooked in butter and put between two slices of bread with fried potato rounds and ketchup, then you are missing out.
And that's all I'm going to say about that!
Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
