Prince of Wales Ketchup (English)

Believe it or not, the ancestor of modern ketchup was completely tomato-free. Though tomato plants were brought to England from South American in the 1500s, their fruits weren’t eaten for centuries since people considered them poisonous. Instead, the precursor to our ketchup was a fermented fish sauce from southern China. As far back as 300 B.C., texts began documenting the use of fermented pastes made from fish entrails, meat byproducts and soybeans. The fish sauce, called “ge-thcup” or “koe-cheup” by speakers of the Southern Min dialect, was easy to store on long ocean voyages. It spread along trade routes to Indonesia and the Philippines, where British traders developed a taste for the salty condiment by the early 1700s. They took samples home and promptly corrupted the original recipe.

Elderberry Vinegar:
2 cups stemmed elderberries (625 mL)
vinegar

Ketchup:
2½ cups elderberries (625 mL)
5 anchovies
3 Tbsp. shallots, thinly sliced (45 mL)
1 tsp. whole cloves (5 mL)
1 tsp. ground mace (5 mL)
1 tsp. ground ginger (5 mL)
1 tsp. ground nutmeg (5 mL)

Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C/130°C fan, Gas Mark 2).

For the Vinegar:
Place 2 cups (½ L) of stemmed elderberries in an ovenproof dish. Cover with vinegar.

Bake for 1½ hours, or until the berries burst. Let the mixture stand overnight, then strain through a jelly bag.

For the Ketchup:
Place all the ingredients in an enameled or stainless-steel pan. Bring to a boil. Simmer gently, until the anchovies are broken up, about 20 minutes.

Let cool, strain and bottle. Cork tightly. Refrigerate. Leave for two weeks before opening. the ketchup will keep for about six months.

Makes about 1 pint (½ L).