Ketchup.

Can you imagine a world without it?

I think all of us can safely say we have, at some point witnessed in our lives, the inadvertent use of ketchup in excess, as an accompaniment to a dish. I don't think anyone really knows how ketchup got to India, If you do, please do share. But my guess is, it came along with the crispy deep-fried French fries that we devour today. Its amazing how, the idea of ketchup was originated from the Chinese, and yet developed further by America, a development that changed our lives. Today, a handful of people can't eat their food without having some ketchup on the side. Some people just have entire sachets by themselves. The first noticeable incident of this in my life, was when my sister ordered a Penne Arrabiata and doused it in ketchup and seemed to love the flavour. That's when major ketchup brands realised we like our ketchup mixed with a bit of spice and flavour and they came out with onion, garlic, and sweet and spicy versions. As our palates evolved and preferences changed, ketchup was made to evolve with us. In ketchups too, you have the various categories: the really free flowing, the barely flowing and then those that come out like little blobs of concentrated tomato paste. I guess it happens due to refrigeration and the conversion of its gel state to sol and all that. Tomato sauce is what we Indians call it. So what's ''Tomato Saas'' then? Well, I'm afraid to say its the same thing. I've seen people eat it with rice, roti, vegetables, idlis, dosas, maggi, pizza, and practically everything fried from samosas and vadas to the continental croissants and puffs. In all fast food outlets, its completely justifiable to douse everything with ketchup because most of the food is very monotonous and starchy and ketchup is the only real flavour component there. It has other uses too. For example, living in India, we don't have the same sweet and delicious tomatoes the Italians get for their sauces, and so in the home cooked version my secret ingredient is a little bit of ketchup to provide it the zing it needs. I have to admit, we can't live without it. A little restraint is advisable though. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter to you, how you ate something as long as you enjoyed it. When dishes are created, they're made with the intention of being appreciated as they are. If you feel you want that little extra element to your plate of food, or there's a particular way you like it, which includes the addition of ketchup, there's no harm in that and most chefs don't mind the idea either as long as their customers leave happy.  Ketchup isn't an accompaniment like salt or pepper that may have been added too less and the addition of which will bring out just a tad bit more flavour. Its a product which completely alters the flavour of a plate of food, giving it new dimensions of sweetness and acidity. Ketchup is a ready-to-use proprietary sauce and like most proprietary sauces, it easily replaces intensive french and traditional sauces when you're in a hurry. In the middle of the night, I got my munchies and there was a little spaghetti left. I boiled it and tossed it in butter, salt and pepper and had it with ketchup on the side. Yes, I did that! At 2 am in the night I'm not going to contemplate whether I should make an arabiatta or bolognese, I just want to eat something so I can get to sleep. We all have had moments like these and whose been there to save our asses? Ketchup. Can you imagine fries without ketchup? No ketchup in the morning with your cheese toast? No ketchup with your samosas? Imagine walking into a Mcdonalds that doesn't serve ketchup. We don't truly realise the importance of a thing like ketchup in our lives, because its just always been there. But... Can you imagine a world without it?