Recently we made Banana Ketchup, a popular condiment in the Philippines. Very tasty by the way! Sheryl (who runs a great blog with recipes and food-related information from a hundred years ago) commented that banana ketchup was new to her. She mentioned recipes for cucumber ketchup and mushroom ketchup in Lowney’s Cookbook, published in 1921.
It seems that mushroom ketchup originated in the UK and that it could be considered the original ketchup. It was used to flavour soups, marinades and meat dishes. The first reference we could find is from 1818 in a book called Apicius redivivus, the Cook’s Oracle by William Kitchiner (pages 475-477). The catsup is made by fermenting mushrooms with salt. Black pepper, allspice and brandy are the other ingredients.

Modern Version

One of the intriguing aspects of mushrooms is that you can use them to thicken a sauce. We used to do this when preparing Daube Provençale. Blender some of the cooked mushrooms until very smooth and transfer the paste back to the pan. The sauce will get a better consitency without becoming velvety or buttery, although the downside is that the mushroom paste reduces the flavour of the dish as a whole.
The recipe for modern mushroom ketchup is about cooking mushrooms and shallot with various spices (mace, clove, nutmeg) and herbs. After an hour sugar and vinegar are added. Blender the mixture until very smooth. The consistency of the ketchup is rather jelly (like wallpaper paste) and its flavour bland. We had to add more spices to make it tastier. Adding a teaspoon of mustard improved the ketchup, somewhat. We combined it with red meat, chicken and potatoes. We were not impressed.

Classic Version

This version focuses on the liquid and that turned out to be a good idea. The result is a tasty condiment, with lots of umami, but not specifically mushroom. It will strengthen the taste of a sauce or a stir fry with various vegetables. We made a beef burger patty with thinly sliced scallion, two teaspoons of mushroom catsup and black pepper. Delicious! We also used the catsup to season meatballs. The catsup emphasized the flavour of the meat and added complexity and length.
You need quite a lot of mushrooms to make it, meaning it’s both intense and expensive! If you’re in the UK, you can buy a bottle of Mushroom Ketchup produced by Geo Watkins.

Etymology

The term ketchup (also spelled catsup) is interesting. It could be related to a sauce with fruits and spices called catchup, or a fish sauce called kichap. It made us think of ketjap, or kecap in Malaysia and Indonesia. This term is related to a Chinese sauce called kê chiap, meaning fermented fish sauce!

Love-Apples

Perhaps you now wonder what the origin is of today’s Tomato Ketchup. The first known recipe for Tomatoe, or Love-Apple Catsup was published in 1812 by James Mease (1771-1846). The love-apples (tomatoes) are thinly sliced. Layers are added to a tin or pot and over every layer a little salt is sprinkled. Leave for 24 hours. Beat the love-apples well, simmer for 30 minutes with mace and allspice. When cold, add chopped raw shallot and brandy. The brandy supports the preservation.

What You Need (classic version)

• 300 grams of Mushrooms (200 Button Mushrooms, 50 Shiitake, 50 Oyster Mushrooms or another combination of juicy mushrooms)
• teaspoon of Mace
• 2 teaspoons of Salt
• 1/8 cup Rice Vinegar
• 1/8 cup Water
• Nutmeg
• Clove
• Black Pepper

What You Do

1. Clean and slice the mushrooms
2. Add mushrooms and salt to a skillet
3. Mix very well
4. Cover and leave on very low heat for 60 minutes
5. Perhaps add some water to speed up the process
6. After 15 minutes add mace
7. After 60 minutes, transfer to a pan
8. Add vinegar and water
9. Mix
10. Leave on medium heat for 20 minutes
11. Add black pepper, nutmeg and grated clove to taste
12. Leave on low heat for 5 minutes
13. Taste and adjust
14. Pass gently through a sieve
15. Use cheesecloth to capture all the juices from the mushrooms
16. Reduce if necessary
17. Let cool and transfer to the refrigerator