For topping French fries or cottage cheese, K rations or school lunches, ketchup has long been an American favorite. In Pure Ketchup, Andrew F. Smith chronicles American milestones in ketchup history, including colonial adaptations of popular British mushroom, anchovy, and walnut ketchups, the rise of tomato-based ketchup, the proliferation of commercial bottling after the Civil War, debates about preservatives, the resurgence of homemade and designer varieties, and a recent challenge from salsa. In addition to the history of ketchup, the book also includes historical recipes.