The original stuff sounds rather like garum, which the Romans inexplicably regarded as food.
Ray Tackett:
March 5th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
The Chinese fish sauce sounds like what the Vietnamese call “Nuoc Mam”. In the mid-60s, the Nuoc Mam capital was Phan Thiet. There, they laid fish strips on bamboo racks and circulated boiling brine over the fish strips for several days.
The result smelled like last week’s socks and was extremely salty. It was so concentrated and “fragrant” that Air Vietnam would allow the stuff only in the cargo hold and in sealed, unbreakable containers.
Nuoc Mam was at least as ubiquitous as ketchup throughout the country. One could discern mealtimes in any village within 20 miles upwind.
For westerners, a half-liter bottle is a lifetime supply. A teaspoon of the stuff spread over a large steak is pretty good — once.
My buddies and I would mix it with most any C-ration meal in the hope of creating or disguising the basic Army flavor. Results varied according to individual taste, mostly bad.
You hear all this from an enthusiastic ketchup user.
Craig Scheir:
March 9th, 2010 at 11:57 am
I’ve been to England and New Zealand with other Americans who have asked for ‘Ketchup’ in a restaurant only to receive something much like Bar-B-Que or steak sauce. Presumably to put on their ‘chips’ aka ‘fries.’ To get American ‘Ketchup’, one must order ‘tomato sauce.’ I don’t know what to ask for if you really want ‘tomato sauce’ – perhaps ask for Bar-B-Que sauce!
Rik:
February 1st, 2012 at 7:03 pm
Ketchup comes from the Chinese word for tomato, which is fan ke, or ke, for short. Jup means sauce, so it is actually properly pronounced Ke-jup=Ketchup.
Catsup:
December 28th, 2012 at 6:39 pm
Ketcup just comes from catsup the word ketchup was made by hienz
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Elizabeth Lightwood:
December 26th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
The original stuff sounds rather like garum, which the Romans inexplicably regarded as food.
Ray Tackett:
March 5th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
The Chinese fish sauce sounds like what the Vietnamese call “Nuoc Mam”. In the mid-60s, the Nuoc Mam capital was Phan Thiet. There, they laid fish strips on bamboo racks and circulated boiling brine over the fish strips for several days.
The result smelled like last week’s socks and was extremely salty. It was so concentrated and “fragrant” that Air Vietnam would allow the stuff only in the cargo hold and in sealed, unbreakable containers.
Nuoc Mam was at least as ubiquitous as ketchup throughout the country. One could discern mealtimes in any village within 20 miles upwind.
For westerners, a half-liter bottle is a lifetime supply. A teaspoon of the stuff spread over a large steak is pretty good — once.
My buddies and I would mix it with most any C-ration meal in the hope of creating or disguising the basic Army flavor. Results varied according to individual taste, mostly bad.
You hear all this from an enthusiastic ketchup user.
Craig Scheir:
March 9th, 2010 at 11:57 am
I’ve been to England and New Zealand with other Americans who have asked for ‘Ketchup’ in a restaurant only to receive something much like Bar-B-Que or steak sauce. Presumably to put on their ‘chips’ aka ‘fries.’ To get American ‘Ketchup’, one must order ‘tomato sauce.’ I don’t know what to ask for if you really want ‘tomato sauce’ – perhaps ask for Bar-B-Que sauce!
Rik:
February 1st, 2012 at 7:03 pm
Ketchup comes from the Chinese word for tomato, which is fan ke, or ke, for short. Jup means sauce, so it is actually properly pronounced Ke-jup=Ketchup.
Catsup:
December 28th, 2012 at 6:39 pm
Ketcup just comes from catsup the word ketchup was made by hienz