# Why Ketchup and Mustard? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 12, 2006, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089 "2006-11-12T07:44:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/21 "2006-11-13T02:16:27Z")
Yuck yuck yuck. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/22 "2006-11-13T02:32:54Z")
> [@](#): > > Yuck yuck yuck. Have you tried it? Although personally, I think ketchup on hamburgers is often overly sweet and yucky, so our tastes may fundamentally differ. ---
**Author:** ![seenidog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@seenidog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seenidog)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/23 "2006-11-13T02:44:21Z")
in reply to **Balthisar** , > [@](#): > > …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. Not arguing your point about which is tastier, home made or store bought, but I disagree on cost. Fresh veggies cost a fortune off season, and tips the cost factor. During the season we make salsa from the home garden veggies, and only have to buy cilantra and lime. And chips of course. We eat large quantities of it. During the winter, we eat almost none of it as most store bought varieties are not to our liking, and the cost of fresh veggies in winter here is outrageous, probably due to trucking charges to a rural area. Also I agree with the poster who stated salsa is not a condiment. It stands on it’s own as a nutritional food, a great appetizer, and a wonderful snack. The chips are there because, well there is something just not right about eating salsa with a spoon. ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/24 "2006-11-13T06:50:02Z")
Salsa costs significantly more than ketchup per ounce, so even in the years when it officially outsells ketchup, it’s only done so on dollar value, not in volume sold. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/25 "2006-11-13T19:06:20Z")
[QUOTE=Duckster] (re: salsa being the #1 selling condiment)… Cite? [/QUOTE] Famously a point of discussion on _Seinfeld_. Mostly because they just like saying the word “salsa.” ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/26 "2006-11-13T19:24:42Z")
[QUOTE=Colibri] 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. [/QUOTE] A bit of a highjack, but… ketchup need not be refridgerated so not so many homes might have it in the fridge. But we do have a bottle at all times. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/27 "2006-11-13T19:29:01Z")
People are going to use dinner condiments that they like to put on what they are eating. Salt and pepper are indeed the kings of the category; but on my tqable you’d find (Mexican) Chili Lime Salt and Tabasco sauce. Lots of people like ketchup on potatoes, hamburger, hot dogs, meatloaf and barbequed items. Lots of people like mustard on ham or roast beef (including sandwiches), hamburgers, hot dogs and barbequed items. I like it on fish and chicken too. If you eat a lot of the above items, or your diner serves meatloaf and burgers, you’d expect to see ketchup and mustard on the table. When else have you seen it? These condiments tend to be cheap, predictably flavoured (unlike salsa which may be less bland), colourful and sweet enough to appeal to kids. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/28 "2006-11-13T20:51:38Z")
[QUOTE=seenidog] in reply to **Balthisar** , Also I agree with the poster who stated salsa is not a condiment. It stands on it’s own as a nutritional food, a great appetizer, and a wonderful snack. The chips are there because, well there is something just not right about eating salsa with a spoon. [/QUOTE] Apparently the Spanish word _salsa_ which translates literally as sauce, has been hijacked into English and used mainly to describe a specific sauce, I believe. _Salsa_ here covers everything from catsup, _salsa dulce_ to gravy, _salsa gravy_ to Worcestershire, _salsa inglesa_ to an infinite number of chile based sauces, both bottled and homemade. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/29 "2006-11-13T21:25:25Z")
Wait, how did chile sauces get to be known as ENGLISH sauce? Huh? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/30 "2006-11-13T21:31:17Z")
[QUOTE=OldGuy] A bit of a highjack, but… ketchup need not be refridgerated so not so many homes might have it in the fridge. But we do have a bottle at all times. [/QUOTE] Right. You’ll see ketchup and mustard in those familiar squeeze (or even glass) bottles still in many fast -food restaurant. Ketchup and mustard are cheap and they aren’t very perishable. Although they might put the ketchup back in the fridge at the end of the nite, both can be left out most of the day. Not so with salsa, or mayo. Hot sauce can be left out, and thus is also commonly seen. It’s also cheap (in the quanities used). In fact MRE’s had tiny little bottles of Tabasco sauce for years. > **[Tabasco sauce](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabasco_sauce)** > > Tabasco is an American brand of hot sauce made from vinegar, tabasco peppers, and salt. It is produced by the McIlhenny Company of Avery Island in southern Louisiana, having been created in 1868 by Edmund McIlhenny. Originally, the tabasco peppers were grown only on Avery Island; they are now primarily cultivated in Central America, South America, and Africa. The Tabasco sauce brand also has multiple varieties, including the original red sauce, habanero, jalapeño, chipotle, sriracha, and sc Acc... That may be what dudes mean by “salsa” in **if6was9** poll. But this cite seems to indicate that’s a spoof: [http://www.blufr.com/?t=seltzer](http://www.blufr.com/?t=seltzer) This site sez only that salsa is the most popular for 25% of those in the Western USA. [http://www.stylegourmet.com/articles/024.htm](http://www.stylegourmet.com/articles/024.htm) Here is more than any of us will likely want to know about the current trends in condiments: > **[Welcome Gourmet Retailer Readers](https://progressivegrocer.com/welcome-gourmet-retailer-readers)** This cite from BBC claims that ketchup is still “by far” the most popular condiment. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2821781](http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2821781) And for _something completely different_- the Onion 😃 claims meat is now #2. [http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51139](http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51139) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/31 "2006-11-13T21:39:57Z")
[QUOTE=Lemur866] Wait, how did chile sauces get to be known as ENGLISH sauce? Huh? [/QUOTE] Unless I am being whooshed here, you are misreading the previous post. Worcestershire sauce is English sauce (_salsa inglesa_). Soy sauce is _salsa china_ (Chinese sauce). (Incidentally, Panama is one of the few places I know where they habitually put ketchup on chow mein. In fact, in the Chinese takeout places they will put a couple of packets of soy and a couple of ketchup in with your order - but Chinese mustard and duck sauce are almost unknown.) What is known as “salsa” in the US is what is known in Spanish as _pico de gallo_ (rooster’s beak) if made fresh and \*salsa roja \* (red sauce) if cooked. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/32 "2006-11-13T21:48:42Z")
Pass the HP Sauce, please… ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/33 "2006-11-13T21:56:43Z")
[QUOTE=Lemur866] Wait, how did chile sauces get to be known as ENGLISH sauce? Huh? [/QUOTE] I think my punctuation may be poor and confusing in my above post. Worcestershire is known as salsa inglesa. Also \*pico de gallo \* is commonly called _salsa fresca o salsa mexicana_. _Pico de gallo_ where I live is cucumber and jicama slices, orange wedges, lime juice and dried chile de arbol powder. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/34 "2006-11-14T14:44:47Z")
[QUOTE=CBEscapee] I think my punctuation may be poor and confusing in my above post. Worcestershire is known as salsa inglesa. Also \*pico de gallo \* is commonly called _salsa fresca o salsa mexicana_. _Pico de gallo_ where I live is cucumber and jicama slices, orange wedges, lime juice and dried chile de arbol powder. [/QUOTE] You wrote it correctly, but when reading fast it’s easy to miss your meaning (such happened to me). Reader’s error; not the author’s. In Hermosillo they call _salsa mexicana_ this: _salsa bandera_ (it’s the colors of the Mexican flag). In the 'States, we have “salsa” if they’re allegedly of Hispanic origin; chutney from some other orgin (Hindu?); and relish. I imagine that we should probably be accurate in calling all of these a relish were we to do so. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/35 "2006-11-14T15:20:59Z")
Gentlemen, gentlemen: there is only **one** mustard… **Colmans!!** I refer of course to English, the stuff that burns, bites yer arse off, big fucking hot rascal which is just beeyootifull. Try this- a grilled cheese sandwich which before grilling has been spread with **Colmans** ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/36 "2006-11-14T15:28:52Z")
[QUOTE=bouv] Ahh, another chance to link to one of my favorite food essays about [ketchup.](http://www.gladwell.com/2004/2004_09_06_a_ketchup.html) [/QUOTE] Interesting. I like the section about how well made Coke and Pepsi are. There are products like that that people tend to be snooty about, but they’re not easy to make. For anyone who doesn’t want to spend 20 minutes reading the article (and it seems that most people would usually rather spend 20 minutes at the Dope instead of actually reading something interesting, but I digress), section 5 is good. This is from memory but, America’s Test Kitchen did a ketchup taste test this year, and their taster’s preferred Hunts to Heinz, IIRC. They didn’t really like any of the gourmet ketchups out there. Like in Gladwell’s article, they found them out of balance. Do not underestimate the mighty ketchup. Like they say in that article, it really zings all of your tastes. . .salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and even umami. When you get too uppity about your ketchup, like the guy worried about bruising the basil for his ketchup, you’re missing the point. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2006, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/37 "2006-11-15T18:17:48Z")
[QUOTE=Dr\_Paprika] …Lots of people like ketchup on potatoes, hamburger, hot dogs, meatloaf and barbequed items. Lots of people like mustard on ham or roast beef (including sandwiches), hamburgers, hot dogs and barbequed items. I like it on fish and chicken too… [/QUOTE] My dad likes it on scrambled eggs. Nixon liked it on cottage cheese. ::shudder:: ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/38 "2006-11-16T02:19:18Z")
[QUOTE=if6was9] Salsa is the #1 selling condiment in the U.S. Just sayin’… [/QUOTE] No doubt linked to abortion… ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089/39 "2006-11-16T02:38:10Z")
[QUOTE=beergeek279] Hey, there’s only one ketchup, and Heinz is its name, n’at 😛 [/QUOTE] [nitpick]You misspelled Hunt’s[/nitpick] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ketchup-and-mustard/380089.md?page=1)