Food That Time Forgot: Mushroom Ketchup 

In the ingredients, what are Whole Pepper Cloves?

Please write those 5 ways to spell it

Do you have recipe for what you just made in this video? Because it doesn't say how much of the long pepper, cloves and nutmeg or other ingredients you used. Thanks!

Waiter would probably still come and try to snatch ‘em up though.

You gotta eat em fast...

Dangerous nights crew!!

I prefer mushroom ketchup on my chicken spaghetti at chickalinis.

Just as long as you don’t have slick back hair

Townsends is at the Feast? I'll have to keep an eye out this fall!

@@matthort1719 Good, because that whole bit about the spices being my chance to be creative left me cold. Man, when I get creative while cooking, the results are extremely varied, and I'd rather not waste the time and money just to guess at the ingredients.

Wow! That’s really cool dude! What an awesome meet cute.

That's An Awesome story. Thanks for sharing❤

@@BeeWhistler Also, the original video uses specific spices, and that's how I make mine.

Same.

Me as well. Thats funny

Me too. It was the first thing I made. It's been a while but now I know I need to make more.

10 years!! Wow, I had been a subscriber before even that. I also can't believe that a) I have been a subscriber for that long and b) that time has simply flown by without me even realising it! It just goes to show how good this 'Townsends' channel is and they having 2 million subscribers is quite the achievement, but surprisingly low for the quality and calibre of this channel! Especially when compared with some other channels that have 5 million or more and one wonders 'why?'. This channel deserves far, far, far more subscribers.

Ditto... back in 2014 I was searching for ketchup recipe and found John and made my first mushroom ketchup. I make it all the time.

I am not sure. There is a strong tradition of vegetarianism in Asia and there is a mushroom based oyster sauce replacement. I think it’s likely this mushroom ketchup is an attempt to copy mushroom oyster sauce.

Did it originate there or did several cultures invent something similar?

@@jackhazardous4008 multiple cultures made something similar. There was once dozens of kinds of fish sauces in Europe, the near east, and north Africa with Garum being the most famous. There were also sauces made from different types of fish, some kosher, some with octopus or squid, and some that were even made with shellfish somewhat similar to oyster sauce. When the Roman empire collapsed the trade in fish sauce dropped steadily but continued in some places like Italy into the present day. There was contact between Rome, India, and China at the time (they've even found evidence of Roman traders as far afield as Japan and Vietnam) but there wasnt a huge transfer of food dishes so it's likely they were independently invented since fermentation and salting foods was done pretty much everywhere.

Paging Heinz. I think we have flavor 58.

Was it thin like this is? Or was there ever some middle ground that had the flavor of mushrooms but the consistency of modern tomato ketchup?

@@musicstewart9744 😂

I got mushroom ketchup once in the sauce section at a Tesco in England. I think it's still possible to find or even better use the video as inspiration and make your own.

​@@Exayevie i guess you could use some sort of starch to thicken it if you'd like

@@matthewnienkirchen8083 Bist due Duetch? Oder Belgish?

Same here. I haven't had time to make it for years, so I'm glad they are selling some online!

It's such a refreshing channel on RU-vid I've been searching for more historical channels and actually usefully channels and purging all the joke channels and trying to build a better algorithm of proper quality for myself

Yep, saw it when it first came out too

​@Harlod Shekelbond do they have some for sell? I can't find it when I go to look for it?

​@@laurasmusings1865 Just use the recipe and make it at home it really isn't difficult.

@@schwuzi I actually ordered a bottle of that Geo Watkins to see if I like it, as I've not tried it before. If I do, I'll be making this from scratch!

Wonderful story❤

lot more than the flavorless button mushrooms from stores. Try oysters, shiitake, chantrelles and you'll see why people go nuts over them

@@escapetherace1943 Not that those aren't good, but best mushrooms will be the ones you can forage

@@Vegan_Kebab_In_My_Hand u wot m8. I find chantrelles and oysters in the woods all the time. Also just saying but (I don't like morels)

@@escapetherace1943 Do you get summer cep? Where I'm from it's the most sought one together with chanterelles and parasol mushroom

@@Vegan_Kebab_In_My_Hand I haven't hunted those, I only ever went for the super common ones around here in the PNW. Namely chantrelles/morels. Morels are highly sought after here and there's a lotta buyers. I just moved states though and it should be quite different here.

❤

Oh, yeah, Trader Joe's has one, too. At least, they did, I've had my jar for a while.

I recently bought one of those, by McCormick - first time I've ever seen it!

I imagine mushroom powder would elevate soups and sauces.

Why don't I just put in mushroom

We have Mushroom Umami Seasoning from Trader Joe's. It's my boyfriend's favorite spice to add. I treat it like a challenge. If I spice the food I make to satisfaction he doesn't reach to add any mushroom powder. The best description I can give for it is it's sort of like ramen powder, kind of like powdered chicken flavor, but ofc different. Umami / savory, and salty.

I’m curious what dishes you would use this with. I plan on making it this weekend and I’m looking for some ideas to put it on. The steak is definitely a given.

@@brentmichael1975 I use it in stews, cooked cabbage, and other savory dishes.

@@brentmichael1975 probably anywhere you´d use worchestershire sauce

Have you tried to thicken it up to be closer to tomato ketchup in consistency? I was thinking maybe add some thickener to it instead of boiling it down because i imagine the flavour would get quite intense

He's like mother nature's best advocate

I wish he was my uncle

I really like his chefs coat.

Make soda out if it

@@ThatOpalGuy 😂 mushroom soda I'm an advocate of weird foods and weird mixes of ingredients but dunno this one 😂😂

Made that mistake the first time I made stock and then a risotto from it. The end result was super salty. That's where I learned it's easier to add more than it is to take away.

Season in stages!

that makes sense since based off what I've read the theory is they started off as pure mushroom, then started adding some tomato in and progressively added more and more tomato and less and less mushroom until we got to the modern day where it was pure tomato and then we started adding progressively more sugar until we got to today's ketchup that as John said is basically a jam.

Did you make this exact recipe? I’m about to make my own and wondered what else might be out there to maybe merge recipes.

@@sgtjholm Try the standard first and when you find it acceptable as it is then use that as a base switch to customizing it as needed

I second his channel. Very straightforward and the recipe can be followed.

@@UCKY5 Tasting History is fantastic! Love that channel!

prefer food to weapons

@@jamc666 I agree!

Always cool to see a gun Jesus reference

I also started with that one. I remember clicking on it thinking, "wow, how weird is that? There's no way anyone would eat that." Now its two years later, I've watched almost every Townsends video and I could tell you how to make this, cullis and flip!

i especially enjoyed the breaking glass sound as the plastic bottle hit the wall

@@terrydonnelly4816 in 18th century america, you could never tell

That was hilarious 😂😂😂

I was not prepared for sound effects in a Townsends video lol

It’s weird just seeing him interact with something modern.

I cook almost always without a recipe. Sometimes. I write them down after if it was especially good. Most of my "tecipes" are a list of ingredients only, no tittle, no amounts. Lol

That sounds like a fantastic idea!! I wanna try that! I'm making my first batch ever!

Do you have any type of an actual recipe

And a lot of them are sometimes better healthier than today

​@Wesley Wyndam-Pryce the food was definitely healthier than today. Of course now we have more modern preservation but a lot of that includes things that are not good for you or food that is in plastic which leach into the food.

​@@wesleywyndam-pryce4081 Of course it was healthier. It wasn't GMO or processed. It was real food.

@@Ryan-bl5wz genetically modified foods are no worse for you than traditionally selectively bred crops

​@@Ryan-bl5wz GMO not unhealthy in any way. Organic corn syrup would mess you up just as bad as GMO corn syrup. Because corn just isn't meant to be in everything.

That's great! I think I'm going to adopt it. "Mushroom powder" really sells it short. It's so much more than that. And it has an appropriate historic reference, too.

@@brucetidwell7715 Thanks very much. I hope Jon reads my comment and likes it too. I'd get a big kick if he started calling it that. I also like when I tell people it's musket spice and they look at me funny, I can explain what mushroom ketchup is, and help spread the word.

That's what I was thinking.

Thanks for sharing! Is the 'c' in kicap pronounced more like a 'k' or an 's'?

it actually made a lot of sense why people would try to replicate the flavour with mushrooms, what he created here was probably really strong in umami so people in the 17th century probably made something very close in taste to what they bought before

@@DJBillyQ The letter C in Malay/Indonesian makes the same sound as 'ch' in English

Yeah, it was originally the name for a Chinese fermented fish sauce. Indonesians call all kinds of fermented sauces like fish sauce and soy sauce "kecap", and I''d guess it came to Malaysia around the same time. Europeans borrowed it from there somewhere.

Yep, ketchup originates in Asia! It was a Southeast Asian word. Fun fact: English speakers cannot agree on the proper way to spell catsup! It is funny how Westerners have so much trouble figuring out how to write words when they learn new words from Southeast Asians.

It is mainly due to them eating tomatoes on lead plates.

Tomatoes are a nightshade and are actually poisonous. The mushrooms we think of as poisonous are actually medicinal, used to induce vomiting in the case of stomach sickness or actual poisoning. Our ancestors knew these things much better than we do.

Only Europeans thought they were poisonous. Native Americans had been eating them for hundreds if not thousands of years before that.

@@T4nkcommander Tomatoes are classified as part of the nightshade family, and are absolutely not poisonous. The _stalk_ of the plant is mildly toxic, the fruit is not. As for poison mushrooms, mate, don't eat deathcaps. They're called that for a reason. There are medicinal mushrooms, but the ones people actually talk about ain't those.

Tbf, a lot of mushrooms are native to Europe and you can find them everywhere. Tomatoes were new and rare to find for most people.

This chef says "Thank you" for the compound butter suggestion! We have herbs all summer for flavoring butters but this will be a nice and different addition to the menu!

@@jaji8549 You are welcome!

I'm curious can this be done with just the mushrooms, salt and nothing else, perhaps a bit of black pepper

@@antonstefanov2146 I think the vinegar may be necessary for shelf life, but not positive.

Worcester sauce is technically ketchup as well. At least Cantonese Chinese call it ketchup. They just call ketchup tomato sauce (Literally translated from Cantonese word for it. The Keh in ketchup in Cantonese means tomato so its Literally tomato sauve and worcestershire sauce kitchup.

do you recall your mushroom-to-salt ratio? i wanna try this myself and I'm afraid to over or under salt them initially

@@CookieMonster-nt8hh Don't worry about it. I use about 1 Tbsp of salt to 1 Lb of mushrooms. Don't let the fear of messing up stop you from moving forward. Just do it.

Came here to say this! Leaving it to ferment was probably more common than not, as it would keep longer. In addition, it creates whole new flavour profiles, deepening the flavours etc. Here in Norway, some foragers make a similar condiment, that is now called mushroom soy sauce, which is very similar to what this would be if fermented. It is traditional, but I have no idea what it was called way back in the olden days

Was he referring to something like Worcestershire sauce maybe?

@@Melissa.Garrett Could be - it contains no mushrooms, but it is from the UK and fairly common!

Mushroom ketchup is available is every large supermarket in the UK. Next time you're in ASDA pick up a bottle.

Aight, I will!

@@HenryPiffpaff me 2 fo sho

I was wondering if the powder could be used as a rub. I'll most certainly be making this now!

Same here. I made up a ton along with a beef pie in the Dutch oven. I did not make enough of either.

It's available in Tesco!

from UK. My Mum always had mushroom ketchup in the cupboard. But i have never seen it in a shop. I might try to make it though!

Never even heard of it till now

@@dq7860 I am now well informed of your ignorance. Thank you.

Yes, it’s available in Tesco, but around two quid for quite a small bottle.

Reading about mushroom picking being national sport I thought you were Polish, but your name looks more Czech / Slovak or maybe even further South to me. I guess it may be Slavic / overall European activity then.

@@user-mc5vy2vk5n Hello, from Czechia, good guess :) If I remember it correctly, I saw some statistic about Poland being world leader in mushrooms consumption per capita, but data was skewed by the fact that Poland is large mushroom exporter. Also it included mass produced mushrooms. When comes to wild mushrooms about 70% of czech people goes to mushroom hunting at least once a year and one houshold eat between 5-6kg wild mushrooms per year on average. But some mushroom freaks, like my mother, brings home about 5-6 kg of mushroom per week, when season is good. Mushroom breakfast, mushroom lunch, mushroom dinner for two months...

Corner meg cooking

Fascinating! I didn't know mushrooms were so popular in that area of the world. Thanks for sharing!

My grandparents were Polish. Mushroom picking is a family affair here in northern Michigan with the Polish families, in the autumn we have stump, or honey mushrooms. Depending on the fall rain, you can get almost none or 20 pounds in an hour. Climate change has shifted the season a good three weeks later..... they need heavy rain and cold nights. And morels are a national treasure, but I have never been really lucky with them.

Little soufflé cups are perfect for liquidy dipping sauces. I do prefer thicker sauces in general, but sometimes your food needs a little au jus or Worcestershire and thickening the sauce can change its whole personality.

gross

@@appa609 ? corn starch doesn't add any flavor. I'd make this probably and add the ketchup powder back to the final liquid product and make it slightly thinner than tomato ketchup

@@escapetherace1943 It is gross because you'd need very much starch... you will taste this large amount and the consistency will not be like regular ketchup...

@@DerSaa you wouldn't taste the corn starch. Yes the texture would be like a thickened asian sauce, so perhaps adding some grated pulp or ground up mushroom back in could help

If you don’t mind my asking, what part of Michigan? I’m from SE Michigan and I hadn’t heard of this until the original video on it. It sounds fascinating

No, ketjap is just soy sauce. The sweet version is Ketjap Manis. The salty version is Ketjap Asin.

@@AudieHolland I stand corrected. In my household we use "ketjap" exclusively for ketjap manis, but that is probably just us.

@@dorusie5 No worries 😀

I'm allergic to soy. This recipe was a godsend alternative to soy sauce.

​@@keithbarnett3055 you poor soul China lily soybsauce is AMAZING