Why and How Ketchup Was Once Medicine?

Episode#2:Ketchup Was Medicine

Believe it or not, the beloved tomato ketchup gracing your french fries wasn't always a mealtime staple. Buckle up for a surprising twist - ketchup actually has a past life as a...medicine!

Our story starts in the 1830s. Back then, tomatoes were a new arrival on European and American tables. Dr. John Cook Bennett, an American physician, saw promise in this red fruit and believed it held medicinal properties. He pitched tomato ketchup as a cure-all for a variety of ailments, including diarrhea, indigestion, and even jaundice.

Dr. Bennett wasn't alone in this belief. Fermented foods were seen as beneficial for digestion in traditional Chinese medicine, and ketchup's tangy nature might have fit the bill. He even went a step further, selling his special recipe in the form of "tomato pills"!

This kicked off a short-lived "tomato medicine" craze. Competitors flooded the market with their own versions, some with questionable ingredients that acted more like laxatives than cures. The whole thing turned into a bit of a wild west situation, and by the 1850s, the "tomato pill" empire fizzled out.

So, what went wrong? Well, for one, there wasn't much scientific evidence to support these claims. Plus, the unregulated market led to products that were more hype than help.

But this ketchup medicine episode wasn't all in vain. It helped lay the groundwork for the ketchup we know today. As the focus shifted away from medicinal uses, recipes started incorporating vinegar and sugar, giving ketchup its signature sweet and tangy flavor.

Today, ketchup remains a global condiment king, enjoyed for its taste, not its supposed medicinal properties. It's a fun reminder that sometimes, even the most familiar things have surprising pasts!