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Tomato Catsup

A fermented tomato sauce made with vinegar, spices, and mustard seed, boiled for four hours.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Gibson, Marietta Fauntleroy Hollyday, "Mrs. C. H. Gibson." · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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Why it works: Tomato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,923 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Tomato Catsup

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Combine one gallon tomatoes, one quart vinegar, six pods of red pepper, six tablespoonfuls black pepper, six of allspice, two of cinnamon, four of salt, and one of mustard seed.

  2. Grind the spices.

  3. Boil slowly for four hours.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

39Calories
2 gProtein
1 gFat
8 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Gibson, Marietta Fauntleroy Hollyday, "Mrs. C. H. Gibson.". Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together27,814 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  3. Tomato + vinegartop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,063 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Tomatoes
Provide the bulk and body of the ketchup, and thicken as water evaporates during boiling.
Vinegar
Adds sharp acidity that balances the sweetness of the tomatoes and helps preserve the sauce.
Red pepper
Adds heat and a sharp, pungent bite.
Black pepper
Adds a warm, mildly hot spice note.

The step that matters

Boil slowly for four hours. Long, gentle boiling drives off water through evaporation, which thickens the sauce and concentrates its flavour. Too little heat or time leaves it thin, while too much heat can scorch the bottom of the pan.

Swap the tomato

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, pepper):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Mustardfits better
  3. Cabbagefits better
  4. Tomatothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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