Catsup or Ketchup?

When I was a kid growing up I remember that Heinz was the only "Ketchup" and everything else was "Catsup".  You have to laugh just saying the word catsup, as it sounds like something a sick cat would produce.  Since my grandparents were cheap frugal in a Great Depression sense they always had Del Monte Catsup on the table.  Now I prefer Heinz, as do alot of people and I'm so happy they came out with the Simply Heinz line that has no HFCS in it.

But I digress, ketchup actually has it origins in a condiment made in ancient China.  Sailors brought it home and over time it gradually morphed from a soy based sauce into the tomato sauce we know today.  The name difference was from westerners trying to anglicize the original Chinese and Malaysian word.  Catsup was the accepted spelling for years until Heinz cam along and named his product ketchup to differentiate it from competitors.  By the late 80's most makers had realized the market had changed and people were calling it ketchup now.

This Snider's ad comes from 1923 when catsup was still king.  Now I'm not really sure what the dinner is, it has a resemblance to spam but that wasn't invented until the 30's.  Regardless,  I'll go along with the notion that it tastes better with catsup.  What I find interesting is the label on the bottle in the bottom corner.  The arc label states "Pure and wholesome.  We do not use artificial color or chemical preservatives".  I find it interesting that even in the early 20's this was a selling point, going to prove that sometimes there is nothing new under the sun.  Indeed we are assaulted with even more chemicals and preservatives today than ever before.

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