Ketchup was used as medicine.
According to HT Schools Hindustan Time, in the 1830s, tomato ketchup used to be sold as a medicine, claiming to cure ailments like diarrhoea, indigestion, and jaundice. The idea was first proposed by Dr. John Cook Bennett, an American physician, in 1834, who is said to sell the recipe later in form of ‘tomato pills’.
The end of tomato pills didn’t mean that the product disappeared. In 1876, Henry Heinz, an American entrepreneur came up with the current today’s version of tomato ketchup by creating it with ripe tomatoes, distilled vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and a variety of spices. This recipe gained traction as a non-medicinal condiment and was first introduced as “catsup” in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
If you are of a certain age you can probably hear Mr Burns from The Simpsons saying ‘Catsup’, ‘Ketchup’. If you want to view the ‘Catsup Ketchup problem’ then this can be viewed below.
