The most popular theory is that the word ketchup was derived from “koe-chiap” or “ke-tsiap” in the Amoy dialect of China, where it meant the brine of pickled fish or shellfish. Some people prefer the Malayan word “kechap” (spelled ketjap by the Dutch), which may have come from the Chinese in the first place.
Read more here: The condiment “KETCHUP” where did the name come from?
By Sarah Skidmore, The Associated Press
For decades there was only one way to use the humble ketchup packet, and it was messy. Now, fast-food lovers have a choice: the traditional squeeze play – or the option to dunk.
You want fries with that, in the minivan? No problem.
The new ketchup pack, unveiled Thursday by H.J. Heinz Co., is shaped like a shallow cup. The top can be peeled back for dipping, or the end can be torn off for squeezing. It holds three times as much ketchup as a traditional packet.
Customers at a McDonald’s in Covington, Ky., said they would welcome a redesign.
“You use up a lot of ketchup now with the packets, I always get extra ones,” said Skyler McDermott, 29. “Maybe now you won’t have to use your teeth to open them.”
