Ketchup

     People say that with ketchup, you can eat even a newspaper. Some gourmets love this sauce so much that they can eat it, even with tomatoes!

     Not surprisingly, because real international team has participated in the creation of this incredibly popular seasoning. 
  

     We know that the Aztecs had grown tomatoes in their beds even for 5 thousand years before Christ. Spaniard Columb, discovered America in the XV century, troubled about that, to bring these exotic vegetables to Europe. Chinese cooks in the XVII century, called the ketchup: the name of marinade for fish or shellfish - "ke-tsiap" was the prototype. The Europeans - Italians and Portuguese - in the XVIII century, devised the famous appetizing mixture. There is even a record of this in the old English botanical dictionary: "... tomato ... eating in Italy with pepper, garlic and butter, while Portugal and Bohemia have prepared sauces from it, which are notable for a very pleasant sour taste." Enterprising Americans in the XIX century put these ingredients in the European "invention" and, called ketchup, established its production. Many years have passed since then, but the popularity of ketchup each day only increases.

     It is not only simple but also in its own way is irresistible, because the foundation of ketchup are ripe tomatoes. These juicy vegetables contain vitamin P, PP, K, B group vitamins and ascorbic acid (it is almost as much as in lemons and oranges). In addition, the tomatoes have carotinoids, pectin substances, organic acids (citric, malic, oxalic), fructose, sucrose, salts of potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium and phosphorus, which are not afraid of even the primary heat treatment. It seems that our body knows about the usefulness of the seasoning.

     Today, ketchup joined numerous "army" of delicious seasonings: with garlic, apples, spicy and the Bulgarian pepper, mushrooms, olives, pickled gherkin ... The list, you can successfully continue yourselves, because food universality of ketchup is well known. It can be added to first courses or spread on bread, it can be eaten with poultry and fish, or put in ragout and roast. Shish kebab "becomes melancholy" without its presence, many complex sauces are really impossible to cook without its participation.

     Scientists have quite competently explain why ketchup is so useful for the organism. During years of research it is found that besides other necessary substances tomatoes contain lycopodium. This organic compound is not only "responsible" for the rich red color of ripe fruit, but also it is a very powerful natural antioxidant, which noticeably reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

     The most shocking statement of researchers is as follows: if to cook tomatoes at high temperature, after 2 minutes lycopodium content in them will be a third more than in raw fruits. If you boil them for 15 minutes, the concentration of this substance is increased in 1.5 times! To ensure that normal human body has received the necessary daily norm of lycopodium to 30 milligrams, you need to eat 200 grams a day of ketchup.

     In addition, doctors assure that the "tomato products, which include ketchup, treat not only the body but the soul. In their composition has "finished" serotonin, called the "hormone of happiness" and the organic compound, which turns into serotonin in the body. So in stressful situations, ketchup might "competently" work as antidepressant. And it seems that this is true. Indeed, the mood could not get worse from shish kebab, seasoned with ketchup ...

     Producers of ketchup know that the tomato paste or tomato sauce play a leading role in the making of ketchup. The taste of the product depends largely on the quality of these concentrated products. That is why at the initial stage of preparation it is very important to "inspect" tomato received for processing, and select the best. After that tomatoes are washed thoroughly and grinded. Received substance is warmed up to 85-95 ° C to accelerate the process of removing skin and seeds, and is passed through a sieve. Preparation does not end at this point. The way ahead - dual evaporation, which turns tomatoes into puree or paste. Density of the final product is directly proportional to duration of evaporation.

     Then it is applyed a "secret weapon" of each manufacturer - ketchup recipe, developed by technologists of the enterprise. As the ingredients there are often used artificial aromatizers, preservatives or stabilizers, but the ketchup they appear in scanty proportions. There are a lot of different spices and food additives, so varieties of ketchup, too, are very much. 
   

     Red and chilli peppers is the principal "additional leader", because among the fans of ketchup there are a lot of lovers of pungent. In addition, technologists note that, for example, puree of red peppers not only supplements tomato with a lot of vitamins A, C, E and K, but also greatly enriches its flavor and color by its uniqueness.

    Unlike traditional buyers, experts focused not only on the attractiveness of the package, gustatory its flavor or color of ketchup. During the test for them it was very important to establish, using laboratory samples, what is the percentage of dry matter content. Ketchup, which has a high percentage, was tastier and, so to speak, "more saturated." And then each of the varieties was evaluated on appearance, color, consistency, as well as smell and taste. 

    One of the main requirements for quality ketchup is a homogenous mass of tomato, which should be fully cleared of seeds, skin and coarse particles of processed fruit. However, the presence of greenery and a variety of spices is welcome. Requirements for the color of the product is such that, along with the characteristic of mature tomatoes bright red color is permissible shades of orange and brown. Choose ketchup to taste and enjoy!

Comments Add Comment