How did these two random condiments come to be staples of the dinner table?
Well, mustard because it’s good on a hot dog, and ketchup because it helps us identify those who are dishonestly claiming to be Chicagoans.
Salsa is the #1 selling condiment in the U.S. Just sayin’…
I thought the only staples of the dinner table were salt and pepper. Plus, butter is probably a more popular choice than ketchup and mustard. What about olive oil? Or why not include all meals, so we have syrup and cream there too?
Staples of the dinner table, or staples of the diner table? I’m with Napier on this one, unless you really meant “diner” rather than dinner.
if6was9, I’ve always wondered about this since the day the news announced that salsa had viciously overtaken ketchup in the condiment race. When you use salsa, you use a whole heck of a lot of it, which is not how we use ketchup. Plus there are hundreds of varieties of salsas. Also are hot sauces considered salsas in US sales or not (I call 'em salsa at home). On the salsa’s side, homemade salsa is so much cheaper and tastier that it’s probably underrepresented by a good margin in the salsa vs. ketchup war. For example, we eat a whole heck of a lot of salsa (more than ketchup) but only buy the occasional bottle of La Chalula. Who’s got the definitive stats here?
I’ve always considered salsa an important part of the meal, or a big ingrediont, not a condiment. Some dumb reporter in the 90s ran with the “popular condiment” thing. You’re not putting salsa on hot dogs, turkey, hamburgers, garlic fries, or anything else
You might not be but I can see putting salsa on all of those.
Ahh, another chance to link to one of my favorite food essays about ketchup.
Hey, there’s only one ketchup, and Heinz is its name, n’at 
I’d say it’s because it gives you two different choices in complimenting the taste of your food: the sweetness of ketchup or the pungency of mustard, so you can pick the one that best fits your own personal tastes.
They’re not as different as salsa is, though: Vinegar is the first ingredient in prepared mustard, and the second in ketchup; salsa has too, but much further down the list.
Depends what kind of salsa. A lot of the storemade Mexican stuff I get at the grocery has no vinegar whatsoever–some might have a sour component like lime or tomatillo, others have none.
Cite?
Salsa has outsold ketcheup at times recently, although I have not found current figures. From here:
I would think that we need to distinguish between the dollar amount sold and the number of homes who have ketchup vs. salsa as their condiment of choice. Whether the percentages would dovetail would be of interest.
Good point. I would expect that far more US households have a bottle of ketchup in the fridge at all times than have a jar of salsa always at hand. As has been pointed out, the two are used in rather different ways: when you use salsa, you typically use a lot more of it than ketchup, and a jar may be bought when needed rather than kept on hand.
Or maybe the volume of ketchup versus salsa, if those figures are available.
Condiment “of choice”? Are there people that habitually put salsa on the burgers and dogs vs. people that put ketchup on their corn chips? I guess things like eggs go either way, though.
I strongly suspect that colr & presentation have a lot to do with the appeal of food, & ketchup & mustard are brightly colored.
Well, the American-style “prepared” mustard is bright yellow, but most varieties are not.
Sure I am, when it’s available. It goes great with all of those things.
Especially hamburgers. Mmmmmm.