THE KETCHUP WAS BORN FROM TOMATO SAUCE

The tomato originated on the Latin American coast of the Pacific, from Peru to Mexico and until the 16th century it was known and used only by the Inca civilization and pre-Columbian peoples. Scientifically identified as Solanum lycopersicum in its wild state, and Solanum esculentum in the cultivated version, the tomato was taken to the Old World by Spanish navigators. Fearing that it was poisonous, Europeans ignored the vegetable. But after 1600, it was discovered by some more inspired Neapolitan cook and became a prominent ingredient in spaghetti sauce.

The enthusiasm of the chefs of the time, from then on, was such that the nightshade would win in Italy the title of pomo d'amore, the fruit of love, and, in Germany, Paradiseapfel, the apple of paradise. It regained its name in the mid-18th century, when the Swedish biologist Carl von Linné (1707-1778) retraced the genetic lineage of the fruit, confirming its descent from the tomato (Aztec name) from the Americas. Hence the Portuguese tomato, French, Spanish and German also tomato, English tomato, Dutch tomato and Turkish tomato.

From the tomato sauce was born catsup, in the Chinese version, or ketchup for the English. Its root is unknown, but not the deliciousness that results from the fusion of reduced tomato with vinegar and spices, with a bittersweet taste. This composition begins, at Hemmer, with the selection and quality of the pulp, an item that will determine the final color of the product. Chosen and washed, the tomatoes pass through a reduction equipment, from where they come out in the form of a paste and free from the seeds.

This reduced juice is packed in an appropriate container, with an infusion of vinegar and about ten other condiments. The quality of the vinegar, the proper choice of ingredients and the quantity of each one of them in the composition, combined with a certain period of rest for a perfect interaction between them is what ensure the flavor of Hemmer Ketchup, traditional and spicy - a characteristic given by adding red pepper. But the next phase also requires care: it's cooking, from which the ketchup must come out with an ideal texture. Then it will be ready for packaging.

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Source: https://www.hemmer.com.br