[Sca-cooks] Ketchup was Period?, was Tomatoes

[Terry Decker]

The first use of the word ketchup in English is around 1690 (as catchup). 
It refers to a group of sauces whose primary base is vinegar as derived from 
a Southeast Asian sauce of a similar name.  Tomato ketchup is a later 
developement.  I would suspect that if the book has any pre-17th Century 
references, it's stage dressing for the evolution of a fish sauce into a 
tomato sauce.

Bear


> Someone mentioned a book about the history of ketchup.  I am  unfamiliar 
> with
> the book, but if the author states that ketchup has a history  linked to 
> our
> (SCA) time period, does he give his sources?  Are they period  sources, or
> just someone else's opinion on the matter?  I'm curious.
>
> THL Elizabeth Donnan