ketchup

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated 7/9/01 9:10:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
laurence.horn at YALE.EDU writes:

> anti-ketchup defamation league

I believe you mean the "anti ketchup-defamation league".  The "anti-ketchup
league" is a group of people (some of whom belong to the ADS-L list, but I
shall respect their anonymities) who make a point of making sure that the
defamations of a certain tomato residue ketch up to the product.  It's like
the difference between libelling a ketch and slandering a ketch.

>--"Everything but ketchup, please."
>--"Sorry, we don't serve ketchup; you'll have to have it without mustard."

If you're interested, I have a pair of 1903 recipes for "catsup", both of
which contain mustard as an ingredient.

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In a message dated 7/9/01 10:33:47 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
dcamp911 at JUNO.COM writes:

> ketchup predates the common use of tomatoes as an
>  edible. Goes back -- and I am talking off the top of my head here -- to a
>  concoction of pickled oysters

M-W 10th Collegiate gives a date of "ca. 1690" and the etymology ""Malay
_kechap_ fish sauce" [a breve over the "e" in "kechap"].  Consumers' Union,
of all people, once denounced the urban legend that ketchup is necessarily
made from tomatoes and, if I remember correctly, supplied a recipe for green
ketchup.

        - Jim Landau