> (Which is ketchup? I assume it's indian in origin
>and I think of it as being heinz par excellence but I think of England
>as an East west conduit)



The word "ketchup" originated in China, but it is not likely from Mandarin--
but some southern dialect. Initially, it mean fermented or pickled fish. As the
word migrated through Southeast Asia, it shifted meanings. By the time it
reached Indonesia, it meant (and continues to mean) fermented soy and other
fermented products.

The British ran into it in their colony in what is today Indonesia, and brought
the concept back to England. Early ketchups were made from mushrooms,
anchovies, walnuts, etc. Eventually ketchup was made from every common
vegetable and fruit. Tomato came into existence about 1800 in the UK and US.
Tomato ketchup became dominant in the US after the Civil War, as a byproduct of
the tomato canning industry. The low price of tomato ketchup eventually drove
the other ketchups out of business in the US (by the 1930s) and in the UK by
the 1960s.

And before anyone asks, yes, I did write a book on this too -- Pure Ketchup: A
Social History of America's National Condiment (Columbia: The University of
South Carolina Press, 1996) and the paperback edition was released by the
Smithsonian Institution Press in April 2001.

See what a misspent research/writing life I've led?

Andy Smith