My Obsession with Ketchup...

I don't know where my love of ketchup comes from.  I really do love it.  Russ makes fun of me and calls it my "vegetable" when it takes up significant real estate on my plate.  I'm a dipper.  Love to dip, and it might be genetically predisposed because I come from a family of ketchup lovers and notice that little Henry will eat things with ketchup that he won't eat without.  Of course, we started him that way.  Henry is a dipper, too.

Ketchup is an interesting condiment.  It's not elegant.  It doesn't pretend to be.  It's definitely not keeping company with coulis or truffle oil.  Ketchup is much humbler than that.  Most think of it as a burger-and-fries kind of garnish, but it's great on so many other things.  When we were kids, our mother made us fried egg sandwiches with...ketchup.  One of my favorite sandwiches is cold, left-over meatloaf, thinly sliced, on lightly buttered toast with a few grinds of black pepper and...ketchup. 

I could live without ketchup, I could...find another condiment, or just quit cold turkey, but I don't want to.  I look forward to that little puddle of ruby goodness, and even if I don't dip into it, just knowing it's there is comforting.  Yet, there are only specific foods for which it is appropriate.  For example, I love ketchup on a burger or scrambled eggs, but do not put it anywhere near my hotdog.  I will never have fries with a hot dog because the ketchup from the fries would conflict with my standard yellow mustard/sweet relish thing.  It would change everything.

Ketchup is a key ingredient in my home-made barbeque sauce, and in my sweet and sour sauce as well. 

You can find the interesting history of ketchup here, courtesy of Wikipedia.  The next time you pick up your bottle of Heinz 57, you'll be better informed about the evolution of this kitchen staple. 

Hope you enjoyed this informal little narrative on my favorite condiment!

Photo:  Wikipedia