There probably would be no kitchen around the world that does not have some tomato ketchup. Whether it is your favourite potato samosas or bhajiyas, fried chicken, or noodles, tomato ketchup occupies a crucial part of our diet. In fact, it would be safe to say, many of us have tomato ketchup at least once a week. One thing to note though, we are talking about tomato ketchup and not tomato sauce. Though they seem the same, they aren’t.
The word ‘sauce’ is derived from the Latin word ‘salsa’ which means ‘salted'. Ketchup comes from the Chinese ‘koechiap’ which stands for ‘brine of fish’. Ketchup was first introduced to Europe as an exotic condiment. From there, it spread throughout the world where it has various other uses.
Ingredients in ketchup consist of tomatoes, sugar, vinegar/acetic acid, and spices. This is generally served cold or at room temperature. Tomato sauce, on the other hand, is a broth consisting of tomatoes, oil, meat or vegetable stock, spices, and meat. It does not include vinegar or sugar. Tomato sauce does not consist of spices, as against the small quantities of garlic and other spices used in tomato ketchup.
Though tomato ketchup is essentially a sauce, it is fundamentally different from what professionals call tomato sauce.
Health benefits of tomato ketchup
Though we usually think of tomato ketchup as a uniform tasting dip, this humble accompaniment actually comes power-packed with a host of health benefits.
A study conducted in Finland has shown how ketchup cuts low-density lipoprotein, or what we refer to as ‘bad cholesterol’. If we do not have more ketchup than what is socially acceptable, ketchup can actually help you lower your bad cholesterol levels by six to thirteen percent.
Tomato ketchup is rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin A, nutrients key for a healthy vision. Along with this, tomato ketchup also helps to boost the immune system.
Though tomato ketchup is high in sugar and salt, it helps enhance the taste of every dish. Being high in sugar and salt does not mean it is unhealthy, as we have small servings of this anyway.
In fact, many athletes use ketchup to boost the taste of their food they otherwise may not like.
General (and bizarre) uses of tomato ketchup
Here are some of the various ways you can use tomato ketchup in cooking and otherwise unthinkable ways.
And now, the unconventional uses of tomato ketchup:
Conclusion
Who knew the humble tomato ketchup had so many uses! Though we generally take our tomato ketchup for granted, it has many health benefits and other unconventional uses too. Currently, there are many brands of tomato ketchup available in the market. To cut corners, some ketchup brands come added with potentially harmful additives and chemicals to boost the taste, colour, and viscosity. To remain completely healthy and free from chemical additives in your tomato ketchup, you can go for Organic Tomato Ketchup which is healthy and free from adulterants.
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