I don’t think I know anyone who hasn’t got a bottle of ketchup of one variety or another in their store cupboard. I particularly love ketchup in Bacon sandwiches or with a good homemade burger. My father used to squirt it all over a bowl of kedgeree and my nephew, when very little over most things. Therein presents the next conundrum – do you place a small dollop of ketchup on the side of your plate? (me) or do you squeeze it all over your food? Either way, have you ever tried making your own? Here’s our really easy fool-proof recipe, do let us know what you think.
The tomato is the edible fruit of Solanum lycopersicum. Both the species and its use as a foodstuff began in Mexico, and spread around the world following the Spanish invasion of the Americas. While it is botanically a fruit, it is considered a vegetable for culinary purposes (as well as by the United States Supreme Court).
The tomato belongs to the nightshade family. The plants typically grow to 1–3 meters (3–10 ft) in height and have a weak stem that tends to sprawl and need support. It is perennial in its native habitat, although it is often grown outdoors in temperate climates as an annual plant.
It is not known when the tomato became domesticated but the Aztecs first used it in cooking and it was certainly in common use by 500 BC, it was already being cultivated in southern Mexico by then and the Pueblo people believed that those who witnessed the ingestion of tomato seeds were blessed with powers of divination.
It is possible that Hernan Cortes was the first to bring the small yellow tomato to Europe after he captured the Aztec city of Tenochtítlan, now Mexico City, in 1521, although Christopher Columbus may have taken them back as early as 1493. The earliest discussion of the tomato in European literature appeared in a herbal written in 1544 by Mattioli an Italian physician and botanist, who suggested that a new type of aubergine (eggplant) had been brought to Italy that was blood red or golden color when mature and could be divided into segments and eaten raw or cooked and seasoned with salt, black pepper, and oil. However it wasn’t until ten years later that tomatoes were named in print by Mattioli as pomi d’oro, or “golden apple”.
After Spanish colonization of the Americas, the Spanish took tomatoes to the Caribbean, to the Philippines, from where it spread to southeast Asia and then the whole of the Asian continent.The Spanish also brought the tomato to Europe, wheere it grew readily around the Mediterranean, and cultivation began in the 1540s. It was probably eaten shortly after it was introduced, and was certainly being used as food by the early 17th century in Spain. The earliest mention of it in a cookbook that was published in Naples in 1692, but in Florence, however, the fruit was used solely as a tabletop decoration before it was incorporated into the local cuisine in the late 17th or early 18th century.
Tomatoes were not grown in England until the 1590s. One of the earliest cultivators was John Gerard, whose herbal, published in 1597, is one of the earliest discussions of the tomato in England. Gerard knew the tomato was eaten in Spain and Italy but he believed it was poisonous, so it was only by the mid-18th century that tomatoes were widely eaten in Britain.
The earliest reference to tomatoes being grown in North America is from 1710, when they were reported to be growing in what is today South Carolina and which may have been introduced from the Caribbean. By the mid-18th century, they were cultivated on some Carolina plantations, and probably in other parts of the Southeast as well. Possibly, some people continued to think tomatoes were poisonous at this time; and in general, they were grown more ornamentally than as food.
Tomatoes are now eaten freely throughout the world, and their consumption is known to benefit the cardiovascular system, because of the presence of lycopene, one of the most powerful natural antioxidants. In some studies, lycopene, especially in cooked tomatoes, has been found to help prevent prostate cancer, to improve the skin’s ability to protect against UV rays, protect against sunburn and help keep the skin looking youthful. They also contain a great deal of Vitamin C, a huge support to the immune system.
Ingredients
3 llb very ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp rapeseed oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
240g light brown sugar
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp grated red pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground allspice
3 cloves, ground
Pinch ground cinnamon
1/2 pint cider vinegar
Salt to taste.
Method
Puree the tomatoes in a blender until smooth. Strain purée through a fine sieve, pressing with a spatula to get out all the juices. Discard any solids. Set tomato purée aside. In a heavy-based saucepan heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and ginger and cook until softened for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato purée and all remaining ingredients except the vinegar and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally at the beginning and more often towards the end of the cooking time, for about 1 hour or until thickened. Add the cider vinegar and salt and cook for 25 to 30 minutes more, until the consistency of ketchup. Adjust seasoning with salt if needed. Set aside to cool. Then strain through muslin, to get rid of any impurities and then store in non-reactive airtight containers in the fridge for 1 week.
The post Heaven Preserve Us – Tomato Ketchup appeared first on Lover Of Creating Flavours.