The terms ketchup, catchup, and catsup are used to designate any spiced sauce and seemingly without any reason for the one used other than personal preference. Though the derivation of the term has been attributed to different sources by the dictionaries, there seems to be more reason for the use of the term ketchup than for the others, both upon the ground of its prior and more general use, and from the history of its derivation. Murray[1] gives the derivation of ketchup from the Amoy dialect of the Chinese, the term being =koechiap= or =ke-tsiap=, meaning a brine of pickled fish or shell fish; and he states that the Malayan =kechap=, which has been claimed as the original source, may be from the Chinese, but that the word =kitjap=, as given by some dictionaries from the Japanese, is an impossible word for that language, and is possibly an error for Javanese. The term catchup given by some dictionaries appears to be based on the assumption that the first syllable ketch is a colloquial form of catch. Many manufacturers use the word catsup, a spelling for which there seems to be no etymological warrant. The earliest use of the term catsup, found by the writer, with any particular significance attached to it as distinct from the other two terms, is by Kitchiner, an English physician, in the Cook’s Oracle, in which directions are given for reducing “catchup” to half the quantity, the statement being that “it may then be called double cat-sup or dog-sup.” The first edition of the book appeared in 1817 in England. ----- Footnote 1: Murray, J. A. H. New English Dictionary. THE MANUFACTURE OF TOMATO KETCHUP It is but natural that a product of this kind should vary greatly in flavor due to the selection and quantity of spices, salt, sugar, and vinegar used, and in consistency due to the degree of concentration and fineness with which the base has been comminuted. Most of the recipes for home-made ketchup call for rather liberal spicing and long cooking so that they have a fairly heavy body. These insure good keeping quality, but impart a dark color to the product.