# Does anyone sell catsup these days? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 17, 2019, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738 "2019-02-17T22:29:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/1 "2019-02-17T22:29:27Z")
I’ve always spelled ketchup as “ketchup”, probably because that’s how I’ve always seen it spelled on commercially produced bottles of the stuff. But I remember reading as a child some older books (maybe old Popeye comics?) where the characters consistently referred to the condiment as “catsup”. At first I wasn’t sure if they were talking about a different sort of sauce altogether, but I soon came to realize that the two terms are synonymous. Nowadays whenever I come across a reference to “catsup” (which isn’t too often), I chuckle to myself and think, “How quaint!” Anyway, all this gets me wondering whether any sizeable manufacturer of ketchup these days labels their product as “catsup”. I wouldn’t mind acquiring a bottle or two, if only to casually serve it at my next dinner party and observe my guests’ reactions. Come to think of it, has any major ketchup producer _ever_ labelled their product as “catsup”? For instance, was there ever a time when one could hie to their local Piggly Wiggly and buy themselves a bottle of Heinz Tomato Catsup? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/2 "2019-02-17T22:43:06Z")
I just used Google Ngram on “ketchup” and “catsup”. From about 1900 to about 1970, “catsup” was clearly ahead. Since then “ketchup” has clearly passed it. In the nineteenth century it was back and forth between the two forms: > **[Google Books Ngram Viewer](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=ketchup%2C%2Bcatsup&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cketchup%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Ccatsup%3B%2Cc0)** > > Google Books Ngram Viewer Incidentally, salsa has been more popular in the U.S. than ketchup since the early 1990’s. > **[Actually, Salsa Dethroned Ketchup 20 Years Ago](https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/10/actually-salsa-dethroned-ketchup-20-years-ago/309844/)** > > The Internet exploded over news that salsa sales have bested ketchup, but George Constanza was complaining about this two decades ago. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/3 "2019-02-17T22:55:34Z")
Del Monte used to label it as Catsup, but it looks like they gave up. There are some [boutique brands that use the C word](https://www.ebay.com/i/142654181310?chn=ps), but I think the rule of thumb is, if you can find it at a supermarket, it’s Ketchup. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/4 "2019-02-17T23:09:15Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Incidentally, salsa has been more popular in the U.S. than ketchup since the early 1990’s Salsa certainly has a greater range of uses, but I think I’ll stick with ketchup on my burger and fries. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/5 "2019-02-17T23:27:27Z")
In southern Illinois (just across the river from St. Louis), in Collinsville, stands the [World’s Largest Catsup Bottle](http://www.catsupbottle.com/), a 170’ tall water tower in the shape of a bottle of Brooks Catsup, built in 1949. [The product is still apparently available](http://www.catsupbottle.com/brooks/brooks.html), but it’s now spelled “ketchup.” The horrors. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/6 "2019-02-17T23:27:35Z")
I grew up in the U.K. I vaguely remember that as a kid we called ketchup “tomato sauce”, but I can’t remember if that’s ever what it said on the (Heinz) bottle. Ketchup was certainly also used, but I’m pretty sure I never heard “catsup” at all until I came to the U.S. Any other Brits on here who can remember our historic terminology? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/7 "2019-02-17T23:35:30Z")
Here are a couple of old ads from Hunt’s (the eternal “other brand” in ketchup, behind Heinz), showing that they spelled it “catsup” in the not-too-ancient past: From 1952: [https://www.vintage-adventures.com/1621-large\_default/1952-hunt-s-catsup-ad-deliciously-yours.jpg](https://www.vintage-adventures.com/1621-large_default/1952-hunt-s-catsup-ad-deliciously-yours.jpg) From 1968: [https://cdn10.bigcommerce.com/s-mjjl4zmo/products/29395/images/26784/a207917137c25d2c6ea307\_m\_\_96734.1405063141.380.380.JPG?c=2](https://cdn10.bigcommerce.com/s-mjjl4zmo/products/29395/images/26784/a207917137c25d2c6ea307_m__96734.1405063141.380.380.JPG?c=2) Another from sometime in the 1960s: [https://i.etsystatic.com/6655722/r/il/937505/1700126358/il\_570xN.1700126358\_nhxa.jpg](https://i.etsystatic.com/6655722/r/il/937505/1700126358/il_570xN.1700126358_nhxa.jpg) And, this image suggests that Heinz originally called their product “catsup” as well, but changed to “ketchup” late in the 19th century: [https://neovictorianthoughts.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/blog\_heinzketchup02.jpg](https://neovictorianthoughts.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/blog_heinzketchup02.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/8 "2019-02-18T00:05:35Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Salsa certainly has a greater range of uses, but I think I’ll stick with ketchup on my burger and fries. 🙂 Salsa also gets moldy sooner than ketchup, which lasts forever. So you end up throwing more of it out. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/9 "2019-02-18T00:23:52Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > I grew up in the U.K. I vaguely remember that as a kid we called ketchup “tomato sauce”, but I can’t remember if that’s ever what it said on the (Heinz) bottle. Ketchup was certainly also used, but I’m pretty sure I never heard “catsup” at all until I came to the U.S. > > Any other Brits on here who can remember our historic terminology? I grew up in Germany, but we early imported the English word “ketchup”. I only first heard about catsup in a Simpsons episode where Mr. Burns got broke, is forced to go shopping in a supermarket for the first time in his life and gets overchallenged by having[to choose between ketchup and catsup.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2-1basQhX8) ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/10 "2019-02-18T01:20:27Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Here are a couple of old ads from Hunt’s (the eternal “other brand” in ketchup, behind Heinz), showing that they spelled it “catsup” in the not-too-ancient past: > > From 1952: [https://www.vintage-adventures.com/1621-large\_default/1952-hunt-s-catsup-ad-deliciously-yours.jpg](https://www.vintage-adventures.com/1621-large_default/1952-hunt-s-catsup-ad-deliciously-yours.jpg) > > From 1968: [https://cdn10.bigcommerce.com/s-mjjl4zmo/products/29395/images/26784/a207917137c25d2c6ea307\_m\_\_96734.1405063141.380.380.JPG?c=2](https://cdn10.bigcommerce.com/s-mjjl4zmo/products/29395/images/26784/a207917137c25d2c6ea307_m__96734.1405063141.380.380.JPG?c=2) > > Another from sometime in the 1960s: [https://i.etsystatic.com/6655722/r/il/937505/1700126358/il\_570xN.1700126358\_nhxa.jpg](https://i.etsystatic.com/6655722/r/il/937505/1700126358/il_570xN.1700126358_nhxa.jpg) > > And, this image suggests that Heinz originally called their product “catsup” as well, but changed to “ketchup” late in the 19th century: [Neo-Victorian Thoughts: Image](https://neovictorianthoughts.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/blog_heinzketchup02.jpg) I guess they saw the direction of the trend and realized they needed to catch up ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/11 "2019-02-18T01:36:19Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Salsa certainly has a greater range of uses, but I think I’ll stick with ketchup on my burger and fries. 🙂 Fries, sure, but a burger with a fried egg on it? Salsa all the way. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/12 "2019-02-18T03:10:56Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > I grew up in the U.K. I vaguely remember that as a kid we called ketchup “tomato sauce”, but I can’t remember if that’s ever what it said on the (Heinz) bottle. Ketchup was certainly also used, but I’m pretty sure I never heard “catsup” at all until I came to the U.S. > > Any other Brits on here who can remember our historic terminology? In Australia we called it Tomato Sauce, but ketchup is sneaking into regular use. Catsup is a very old term based on the Chinese ke-tsiap a fermented fish sauce that then went to Malaysia and changed formula but the name stuck, sailors loved it added tomatoes and it now has morphed into Ketchup. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/13 "2019-02-18T05:48:03Z")
Similar to catsup is updog. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/14 "2019-02-18T05:52:23Z")
Fun factoid: \*Kicap _is now the Malay word for soy sauce._ \*In Malay the letter c by itself stands for ch (or even tch). Because they have k for the k sound and s for the s sound, that leaves c with nothing else to do but spell the ch sound. It doesn’t need h to help it do so, so they omit the h. Makes good sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/15 "2019-02-18T09:43:27Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > I grew up in the U.K. I vaguely remember that as a kid we called ketchup “tomato sauce”, but I can’t remember if that’s ever what it said on the (Heinz) bottle. Ketchup was certainly also used, but I’m pretty sure I never heard “catsup” at all until I came to the U.S. > > Any other Brits on here who can remember our historic terminology? Red sauce, at least in this post of the country. To distinguish from brown. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/16 "2019-02-18T13:35:50Z")
To the people who called ketchup “tomato sauce”: What do you call the red sauce you use to put over pasta? Please don’t say “red sauce”… ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/17 "2019-02-18T13:40:12Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > To the people who called ketchup “tomato sauce”: > What do you call the red sauce you use to put over pasta? Please don’t say “red sauce”… Marinara? Pomadoro? ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/18 "2019-02-18T13:59:22Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Similar to catsup is updog. Can you define updog? ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/19 "2019-02-18T14:35:34Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > To the people who called ketchup “tomato sauce”: > What do you call the red sauce you use to put over pasta? Please don’t say “red sauce”… Tomato sauce or the proper, relevant Italian term, Arrabiata etc. It never seems to cause confusion as I’ve never been in an Italian restaurant would assume any form of ketchup was a potential pasta topping. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738/20 "2019-02-18T16:26:34Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > In southern Illinois (just across the river from St. Louis), in Collinsville, stands the [World’s Largest Catsup Bottle](http://www.catsupbottle.com/), a 170’ tall water tower in the shape of a bottle of Brooks Catsup, built in 1949. > > [The product is still apparently available](http://www.catsupbottle.com/brooks/brooks.html), but it’s now spelled “ketchup.” The horrors. 🙂 Brooks catsup and Plochmann’s mustard used to be two products I’d bring back to south Georgia from visits to Indiana. Brooks was the best! I haven’t had it in a while, though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sell-catsup-these-days/829738.md?page=2)