Ketchup is a food-seasoning sauce. It is also spelled catsup or catchup. Ketchup is made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, salt, and various spices. Ketchup is usually preserved by canning. The name for the sauce originated in Asia during the 1600’s, from a word pronounced like “kaychup.”
The United States Food and Drug Administration has established a “Standard of Identity” for ketchup. This standard specifies what ingredients may be included in ketchup. It also specifies the standard grade of thickness for ketchup.
