The History of Ketchup

Ketchup. Put it on anything greasy, starchy, or salty, and it becomes even better. These days, ketchup comes in a wide variety of styles, serving mediums, and even ingredients. While enjoying a hot-dog one day, I pondered where ketchup came from. As it turns out, it's older than I thought it was, and not from where I thought it would come from.

Way back in the 17th century, the Chinese mixed a concoction of pickled fish and spices and called it ke-chiap. Yummy. Now, I know what you're thinking: This sounds nothing like ketchup! Yeah, I know. Surprising.

By the early 18th century, the popular table sauce had made it to the Malay states, where it was tasted by the ever-so culinary-challeneged English colonists. The Indonesian-Malay word for the sauce was kecap. That word evolved into the English word "ketchup". English settlers then took ketchup with them to the American colonies, where it evolved into a tomato paste.

The term Ketchup was used in 1690 in the Dictionary of the Canting Crew which was well acclaimed in North America. The spelling "catchup" may have also been used in the past, and the term "catsup" is still used today in some southern states. 

In fast food joints, ketchup is often dispensed in small packets.  In 2011, Heinz began offering a new measured-portion package, called the "Dip and Squeeze" packet, which allowed the consumer to either tear the top off the package and squeeze the contents out, as with the traditional packet, or, in the alternative, tear the front off the package and use the package as a dip cup of the type often supplied with certain entrées.

Previously, fast food outlets dispensed ketchup from pumps into paper cups. This method has made a resurgence in the first decade of the 21st century with cost and environmental concerns over the increasing use of individual packets. Take it from someone who worked at a fast food joint for two years: There is NEVER enough ketchup packets.

In October 2000, Heinz introduced colored ketchup products called EZ Squirt, which eventually included green, blue, and even purple. These products were made by adding food coloring to the traditional ketchup. As of January 2006 these products were discontinued.

I'm pretty sure that was for the best.

Looks like it's all ogre now.

 Oddly enough, there exist green tomatoes, so I suppose green ketchup isn't too out of the ordinary.

Lead in the Water

While lead has many properties beneficial to mankind, including, but not limited to: high density, a relatively low melting point, resistance to oxidation and rust, and abundance, which leaves little question as to why it is used in bullets, weights, solder, radiation shields, and even batteries and plumbing, certain things humans take for granted, lead has many, many disadvantages. Lead is extremely toxic, and can be either swallowed, touched, or even inhaled, can affect many different parts of the body. Thus, the Flint Crisis is no laughing matter, and provides serious health concerns, as lead poisoning due to contaminated water is far from a modern occurrence.

Thousands of years ago, early civilizations could easily extract lead ore from the earth, from the mineral galena. Galena also contained silver, so they were often mined together and even held with the same respect. Many historians argue that, since lead is found in so many ancient artifacts, that it could very well have been one of the first metals, along with copper, that were mined. The ancient Egyptians used it in cosmetics and their fishing weights, and is even mentioned in the Old Testament, being described as the slag that came from silver ore. Often, elements such as Gold (Au) and Iron (Fe) get their chemical symbols from Latin root words. Lead is symbolized as (Pb) from the Latin word plumbum. From this root word came many things associated with lead, such as plumb bob, plumbata (A sort of Ancient Roman throwing dart) and perhaps most famously, plumbing, plumber and plumb lines, as Rome was the first civilization with a plumbing system, using pipes made from lead.

Only the rich, ruling classes of Rome’s finest could afford the exotic luxury of lead plumbing and fancy leaded wine casks. Thus, the wealthier Roman citizens often suffered insomnia, hallucinations, partial blindness, irritability, lowered fertility, and other signs of deteriorating mental health. Chemical analysis of human remains from Roman tombs reveal staggering, increasing concentrations of lead. Several Roman emperors could have suffered the effects of madness brought on by lead poisoning. The evidence of lead poisoning and madness is so abundant that many historians list lead poisoning as a factor contributing to the fall of the Roman Empire.
Lead was seldom used in the Middle Ages, only used in the making of stained glass windows. However, lead was called into action once again with the rise of the industrial revolution and modern cities. With modern cities came modern plumbing, and thus, the cycle began again, and has now only recently been called into concern due to several “lead crises” such as Washington’s, and more recent, Flint.

To quote the Washington Post: “Flint’s water was contaminated when a state-appointed emergency manager, in a cost-cutting move, switched the city’s water supply from the Detroit system to the Flint River. State environmental officials failed to ensure that anti-corrosive chemicals were added to the water, allowing lead to leech from aging pipes.”

Lead will enter drinking water when iron service pipes that contain lead corrode, especially where the water has high acidity or low mineral content that corrodes pipes and fixtures. High levels of iron in distributed drinking water have been tested, and contain trace amounts of lead. When iron corrodes, and flakes off from the inside of pipes, the lead solder can break off much easier, leading to many unfortunate lead poisoning cases.

Lead solder can even be found in chrome or brass-plated faucets, which, when introduced to hot water, will break off into what is supposed to be potable water. Hot water dissolves white, powdery lead, turning the water a sickly yellow color.

Per the Journal of Chemical Education: “Lead is relatively insoluble in sulfuric and hydrochloric acid, but will dissolve in hot, concentrated nitric acid. Lead is slowly oxidized and carbonated in moist air and may he attacked by either pure water or weak acids in the presence of oxygen to form lead hydroxide.”,

In lay man’s terms, neither foods nor beverages should he stored in fancy antique pewter or soldered cans, which contain highly dangerous amounts of lead. Lead is resistant to hard water, hydrogen. fluoride, brine, and most solvents and is used industrially for storage and transport of many solvents, including cold sulfuric acid.

Often used in batteries, workers in lead-battery industries suffer both neurologic and reproductive damage, developing weak, slow, mutated sperm cells. Thus, these workers have a lower fertility rate than similar workers in non-lead, blue-collar industries. Similar results were obtained for the female workers who had not only a lower fertility rate but also a higher incidence of spontaneous abortions and deformed babies than comparable female workers in non-lead industries.

An increase in fetal death rates arose during the Washington water crisis, which affected Washington DC from 2000 to 2004, peaking in 2001. Lead abortion pills were used in the early 1900s, and the use of new lead pipe in potable water systems for cities without proper maintenance increased fetal mortality nearly threefold. Stillborn children, impotence, and even miscarriages were the result of ingesting these pills and drinking contaminated water.

Young children, infants, and fetuses are particularly vulnerable to lead because the physical and behavioral effects of lead occur at lower exposure levels in children than in adults. A dose of lead that would have little effect on an adult can have a significant effect on a child, since children are still growing and developing. In children, even very low levels of exposure have been linked to damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing, and impaired formation and function of blood cells, all caused by stunted growth of the nervous system, a symptom of lead poisoning.

According to the EPA “Homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead pipes, fixtures and solder. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) has reduced the maximum allowable lead content -- that is, content that is considered "lead-free" -- to be a weighted average of 0.25 percent calculated across the wetted surfaces of pipes, pipe fittings, plumbing fittings, and fixtures and 0.2 percent for solder and flux.”

Homes described above may have internal plumbing materials containing lead. Since one cannot see, taste, or smell lead dissolved in water, like you can with rusty water, testing is one of the only ways of telling whether if your water is safe to drink or not. Testing a home for contaminated water can cost up to $100, and is often less.

Many water filters and water treatment devices are certified by independent organizations for effective lead reduction, such as Brita filters, and as a more modern example, the Life Straw. Devices that are not designed to remove lead will not work, and should be tested often. One must verify the claims of manufacturers by checking with independent certifying organizations that provide lists of treatment devices they have certified.

In conclusion, lead poisoning can be found in all walks of life, and up until recent times, such as during Flint’s water crisis, Americans seldom worried about where, when and how lead worked. Only time will tell if Flint’s water crisis will be solved. Until then, the residents of Flint will need to rely on donated bottled water to use as potable water, which they’ll likely never see soon.

The World's Most Expensive S'more

According to Wikipedia:

"S'mores are most typically cooked over a campfire by first roasting the marshmallow over the flame until it is golden brown. The marshmallow is then added on top of half of a graham cracker and a piece of chocolate. The second half of the cracker is then added on top. S'mores can also be made at home in the oven, in the microwave or by using a s'mores making kit. S'mores making kits such as Sterno's Family Fun S'mores Maker allow s'mores to be made anywhere over a portable flame."

That's what we're looking for in: The World's Most Expensive S'more!

First of all, we need some over-the-top expensive chocolate. Thankfully, this was easy to track down.

"Amedei Porcelana, a dark chocolate made by the Amedei chocolatier of Tuscany, Italy, is often called the world's most expensive chocolate. It has won various awards, including "Best bean to bar", "Best Dark Chocolate Bar", and the "Golden Bean award." Amedei is and was, at the time of these awards, a sponsor of the awarding body's parent organization."

Yummy

According to various sources, a bar of the stuff costs about 16 bucks, with a pound of it costing up to 90 bucks. We only need one S'more, so one bar should do the trick.

Next is the graham cracker. Truth be told, I couldn't find an outrageously expensive graham cracker. However, what's the difference between a cracker and a graham cracker? Just some sugar, if you ask me. However, I can find the world's most expensive cracker!

In 2015, a survival biscuit from one of the Titanic lifeboats sold for 23,000 smackaroos. Remove it from the wrapper, break it in half, sprinkle some honey and sugar on it, and it's a graham cracker.

Also yummy

Next: The marshmallows. I looked for a good hour without finding an actual expensive marshmallow. The only thing that came up were some stupid-looking chairs and a some Ghostbusters merchandise.

Oh dear Christ, not that one! 

Ebay gave me good results.

So, since this is my blog, I say that I should cut myself some slack. 

Target sells these square-shaped marshmallows for 2 bucks a bag. Not exactly expensive, I know. However, they're the right shape for us to hold the world's most lucrative s'more together. To make it fancy, how about some edible gold leaf?  

Also from Ebay, here's a single sheet of edible gold leaf, selling for 10 bucks. We have all the components we need... If you like cold s'mores. Which nobody likes. 

Finally, we need a fire! And a place for a fire! A fireplace! The world's most expensive fireplace! 

Ladies, gentlemen, and robots, this is the Aqueon Fireplace. "This modern fireplace happens to be the world’s first consumer hydrogen fireplace. Priced at $50,000, it is one of the most expensive fireplaces ever. This hi-tech fireplace does not even require a chimney. All it needs is access to tap water so that it can harvest hydrogen and produce a beautiful open flame. Not just that, this contemporary fireplace is designed like an artistic candle flame. Your guests will never stop talking about this one."

He bought that to make s'mores?

Getting our ol' calculator out, our "World's Most Expensive S'more" comes to about $73,028.

I think I'll just stick with what's affordable.