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Tomato Ketchup

Erken's tomato ketchup from 1914: 4.5 l peeled tomatoes reduced slowly by half with vinegar, salt, sugar, cayenne, mace, celery seed and cinnamon, pressed through a colander, reheated and bottled, then corked and sealed with wax.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 353 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

From the sauce chapter of Stor kokebok (1914). Homemade ketchup was a way to preserve the summer's tomatoes; the bottles were corked and sealed with wax for long storage in a cool, dry place.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Prepare the tomatoes

    Wash and dry fully ripe tomatoes. Scald them in boiling water and remove the skins.

  2. 2

    Bring to a boil with spices

    Place the tomatoes in a pot with salt, sugar, cayenne, mace, celery seed and cinnamon. Pour the vinegar over.

  3. 3

    Reduce

    Let the mixture reduce slowly until only half remains.

  4. 4

    Strain

    Press the mass through a colander and return it to the pot. Reheat thoroughly.

  5. 5

    Bottle

    Pour the ketchup immediately into clean bottles, cork them and seal the corks with wax. Store cool and dry.

Changes from the original

Measurements have been converted to modern units (liters, grams, tablespoon/teaspoon). "Strokne" (level) spoons interpreted as level measures. The quantity of tomatoes is given in liters as in the original, with the approximate weight in a note. The method has been divided into numbered steps.

Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

Modernised → 1914 (proofread, p. 353)~83% of the text changedremovedadded
4,5 l tomater (fullmodne, ca. 4 kg). 1/2 l. tomater 2 ss strokne spiseskeer salt (glattstrøkne). 100 g sukker. gr. sukker 1 ts cayennepepper (glattstrøken). stroken teske cayenne 3 ts strokne teskeer muskatblomme (glattstrøkne, malt). 3 ts — — sellerifrø (glattstrøkne). 2 ts — — kanel (glattstrøkne teskjeer, malt). 1 l eddik. Vask og tørk fullmodne tomater. Skåld dem l. eddik De vaskede, tørrede, fuldmodne tomater skoldes i kokende vann og fjern skinnet.. Legg tomatene vand, hvorefter skindet fjernes. Tomaterne lægges i en gryte med salt, sukker, cayenne, muskatblomme, sellerifrø sukker og kanel. Hell over eddiken.. La blandingen koke de øvrige krydderier, paaheldes eddiken, koker langsomt inn til bare halvparten ind, indtil kun det halve er igjen.. Press massen gjennom dørslag og hell den tilbake igjen, presses gjennem dørslag, haves igjen i gryten. Varm godt opp igjen.. Hell ketchupen Haves straks på rene paa flasker, kork dem og lakk korkene. Oppbevares kjølig der korkes og tørt. lakkes.

Note on Modernised

Mål er omregnet til moderne enheter (liter, gram, spiseskje/teskje). «Strokne» skjeer tolket som glattstrøkne mål. Mengden tomater er angitt i liter som i originalen, med omtrentlig vekt i note. Fremgangsmåten er delt i nummererte trinn.

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Frequently asked questions

How long should the ketchup cook?
It should reduce slowly until only half remains – expect around 2–3 hours in all (the recipe indicates about 180 minutes total).
How do I get the tomato skins off?
Wash and dry fully ripe tomatoes, scald them in boiling water, and the skin loosens and can be removed easily.
Which spices are used?
Salt, sugar, cayenne, mace, celery seed and cinnamon, boiled together with 1 liter of vinegar for 4 1/2 liters of tomatoes.
How is the ketchup stored?
After reducing, the mass is pressed through a colander, returned to the pot and immediately filled into bottles that are corked and sealed with wax.

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