Mushroom Ketchup

Mushroom ketchup is a style of ketchup (also spelled "catsup") that is prepared with edible mushrooms as its primary ingredient. Historically, ketchup in the United Kingdom was originally prepared with mushrooms as a primary ingredient, instead of tomato, the main ingredient in contemporary preparations.

The preparation involved packing whole mushrooms into containers with salt, allowing time for the liquid from the mushrooms to fill the container, and then cooking them to a boiling point in an oven. They were finished with spices such as mace, nutmeg and black pepper, and then the liquid was separated from solid matter by straining it. Several species of edible mushrooms are usable in its preparation. Some versions used vinegar as an ingredient. The final product had a dark color that was derived from the mushroom spores that transferred from the mushrooms to the solution. The version in The English Art of Cookery lists dried mushrooms to be used for the ketchup's preparation. This version also uses red wine in the ketchup's preparation, and uses a cooking reduction, in which one-third of the product is reduced, after which the final product is bottled.

British Edible Fungi, published in 1891, states that for optimal results, "mixed fungi should not be used, beyond certain limits..." Per this source, some species of edible mushroom may be mixed together in mushroom ketchup's preparation, but certain species should not be mixed together, and some should not be mixed with others at all. This book also includes a preparation for "double ketchup" that involves reducing mushroom ketchup to half its original state, which doubles its strength through the evaporation of water

In the 19th century, some sauces were prepared using mushroom ketchup, such as "quin sauce".

An 1857 recipe for "camp ketchup" uses mushroom ketchup as an ingredient, in addition to beer, white wine, anchovy, shallot, ginger, mace, nutmeg and black pepper. The recipe combined these ingredients and then called for allowing the mixture to sit for fourteen days, after which it was bottled.

Additional 1857 recipes for camp ketchup used ingredients such as mushroom ketchup, vinegar, walnut ketchup, anchovy, soy, garlic, cayenne pods and salt.

Read More at Wikipedia.

Recipe for Mushroom Ketchup see Here, Here and Here.