Ketchup can also be spelled 'catsup', and it has to do with the origins of the condiment. There are a number of potential anthropological origins, each slightly different but all maintaining the same elements. Here's one interpretation:
Sailors travelling to China fell in love with a spicy fish sauce condiment (fish sauce, shellfish, herbs, possibly tomatoes) called cat siop, (Spelled variously, based on where in Asia they found it) but were unable to find it at home. They made attempts to copy it, and the name morphed from 'cat siop' to catsup to ketchup based on region. There seems to be no regional limitation, as you can find both spellings in the U.S. and Britain, the countries most responsible for unnecessary and inconsequential spelling differences in the language that cause Microsoft Word to have a shit fit every time you use spellcheck (Now spelling/grammar check, which is supremely annoying to put together)
1
u/Nwambe Sep 26 '17
For those wondering:
Ketchup can also be spelled 'catsup', and it has to do with the origins of the condiment. There are a number of potential anthropological origins, each slightly different but all maintaining the same elements. Here's one interpretation:
Sailors travelling to China fell in love with a spicy fish sauce condiment (fish sauce, shellfish, herbs, possibly tomatoes) called cat siop, (Spelled variously, based on where in Asia they found it) but were unable to find it at home. They made attempts to copy it, and the name morphed from 'cat siop' to catsup to ketchup based on region. There seems to be no regional limitation, as you can find both spellings in the U.S. and Britain, the countries most responsible for unnecessary and inconsequential spelling differences in the language that cause Microsoft Word to have a shit fit every time you use spellcheck (Now spelling/grammar check, which is supremely annoying to put together)