White Ketchup
The concentrated sauce white ketchup mixed with béchamel
City/Region: England
Time Period: 1787
Ketchup got its start as fermented fish sauce in Southeast Asia as early as 544. When it was brought to Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, cooks were left to figure out the ingredients and a lot of different versions cropped up.
This 18th century recipe isn’t white, but it does include many white ingredients like horseradish, white wine, elderflower vinegar, and white peppercorns. It also is a great addition to a creamy, neutral base like a white sauce, or béchamel.
This ketchup isn’t meant to be eaten on its own as a condiment, but as an ingredient to flavor sauces, gravies, and stocks. It adds a really nice tangy zest with a savory umami note, though I won’t be making it again because the large quantities of spices like the whole mace make it a very expensive recipe.
“TAKE one quart of white wine, one pint of elder vinegar, and one quart of water; half a pound of anchovies with their pickle, half a pound of horse-radish, scraped, one ounce of eschalots bruised, one ounce of white pepper bruised, one ounce of mace, a quarter of an ounce of nutmegs cut in quarters; boil all together till half is consumed, then strain it off: when it is cold, bottle it for use. It is proper for any white sauce, or to put into melted butter. ”
Ingredients:
- 1 quart (1 L) white wine
- 2 cups (475 ml) elderflower vinegar*
- 1 quart (1 L) water
- 1/2 lb (225 g) salted or brined anchovies (not packed in oil)
- 1/2 lb (225 g) horseradish, thinly sliced
- 1 oz (28 g) shallots, chopped
- 1 oz (28 g) whole white peppercorns
- 1 oz (28 g) whole mace
- 1/4 oz (7 g) nutmeg, cut into quarters (very difficult to cut, be careful!)
*See notes below.
Instructions:
- Bruise the shallots by mashing them a little bit with a mortar and pestle. Bruise the white peppercorns by doing the same, grinding them into very coarse bits.
- Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and give it a good stir. Set it over high heat and bring it to a boil. Let it boil until it is reduced by half.
- When it’s reduced, strain the ketchup and let it cool completely before putting it into a bottle.
- Serve the white ketchup forth not on its own, but as an ingredient to flavor sauces, gravies, and stocks.
Notes
- You can make your own elderflower vinegar by filling a jar with fresh elderflowers, pour in some white wine vinegar, and let it sit for 2 weeks.
- For a store-bought version, here's a link: https://amzn.to/47kNIbS
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