June 15, 2012

Red bananas

bottle of Jufran banana ketchup Banana "ketchup" is a uniquely Filipino product. No, it doesn't have tomatoes; it really is made from bananas, with vinegar, sugar and spices. Think of it as a sweet and spicy banana sauce, similar in taste to Thai sweet chili sauce. Banana ketchup was invented during World War II when there was a shortage of tomatoes (and many other things besides), and its formulation is credited to Maria Ylagan Orosa (1892–1945), a food technologist, nationalist and war heroine. If you've ever mashed bananas, you know that it is light brown in color; banana ketchup is red because of food coloring—to make it more acceptable as a ketchup replacement to Filipinos and Americans in the country during the WWII era. But almost three-quarters of a century after the war, I wish Jufran and other makers of banana ketchup would drop the red food coloring and stop calling it ketchup. It's a flavorful and appetizing condiment which can—and should—be elevated to something more than "fake ketchup."

6 comments:

  1. ketchup a la banane ? ca doit etre bon

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  2. Ersatz ketchup, interesting.
    I'd like to taste that.

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  3. Really interesting, I imagine it's delicious and healthy!
    Léia

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  4. I've never heard of this before. It sounds intriguing, I'd try it.

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  5. Oh my, would love to try this one! We will try to find it in one of the many Filipino shops around.

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  6. It is extremely awesome! You can get it here in Colorado, believe it or not, and I keep a bottle in the fridge at all times :^)

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Thanks for visiting and letting me know!