# Tomato ketchup, or...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomato-ketchup-or/39149>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 31, 2000, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomato-ketchup-or/39149 "2000-10-31T22:03:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomato-ketchup-or/39149/1 "2000-10-31T22:03:34Z")

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Ketchup labels always seem to say “Tomato Ketchup”. Isn’t that redundant? Or did there used to be other kinds of ketchup?

It’s just the sort of mindless thing I choose to dwell on, God help me…

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**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomato-ketchup-or/39149/2 "2000-10-31T22:22:15Z")

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There were (and are) various sauces that are called ketchup. I’ve seen recipes for mushroom ketchup, for example, but I’ve never seen a commercially produced one.

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomato-ketchup-or/39149/3 "2000-10-31T23:54:57Z")

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Check out this thread: [Mushroom Catsup](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=41430).

I have also seen recipies for walnut catsup.

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**Author:** ![mongrel\_8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@mongrel\_8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mongrel_8)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2000, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomato-ketchup-or/39149/4 "2000-11-01T00:16:17Z")

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I can’t remember exactly what it was but I think my Great Aunt gave me some corn ketchup or something odd like that.

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**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2000, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomato-ketchup-or/39149/5 "2000-11-01T00:21:50Z")

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As our friend the OED says about “ketchup” (the preferred spelling according to those people)

> [@](#):
>
> A sauce made from the juice of mushrooms, walnuts, tomatoes, etc., and used as  
> a condiment with meat, fish, or the like. Often with qualification, as mushroom  
> ketchup, etc.