Ketchup was born without tomato

The word "ketchup" comes from the Hokkien kê-tsiap, the name of a fermented fish sauce made along the coasts of southern China and Southeast Asia. European traders tasted it in the 17th century, fell for that deep, salty punch, and carried the idea home.

But there was no easy way to recreate the original fish back in Europe, so every cook improvised. For nearly two centuries, "ketchup" was a catch-all: there were versions made from mushrooms, green walnuts, anchovies, oysters. All dark, all umami, and not a drop of tomato.

Tomato didn't join the recipe until the early 19th century, in the United States, and it took decades to win out. So next time you squeeze that red bottle, remember: you're using the distant descendant of a Chinese fish sauce that lost the fish along the way.