Ketchup is the thick, cold, sweet-sour red sauce that comes out of a squeeze bottle onto chips, burgers, sausages, and eggs. In the United States it is almost always tomato ketchup, and people put a lot of it on food; in Britain the same red stuff is ketchup too, sitting next to brown sauce, which is a different bottle. That red picture is what learners meet.

Ketchup is the thick, cold, sweet-sour red sauceKetchup（番茄醬）是一種濃稠、冰冰的、酸酸甜甜的紅色醬料 that comes out of a squeeze bottle從擠壓瓶裡擠出來， onto chips, burgers, sausages, and eggs擠在薯條、漢堡、香腸，還有蛋上面。 In the United States it is almost always tomato ketchup在美國，它幾乎都是指 tomato ketchup（番茄醬）， and people put a lot of it on food而且人們會加很多在食物上；in Britain the same red stuff is ketchup too在英國，同樣的紅色醬料也叫 ketchup， sitting next to brown sauce跟 brown sauce（褐醬）擺在一起， which is a different bottle那是不同的一瓶。 That red picture is what learners meet這種紅色的畫面就是學習者最先接觸到的印象。

Though actually, ketchup did not start as a tomato sauce at all. English speakers first used the word in the late 1600s for a salty sauce they met in Southeast Asia — closer to a thin fish or soy sauce than to the red stuff we know. Tomato went into the bottle much later, and for a long time British cooks also made ketchup from mushrooms or walnuts.

Though actually不過其實， ketchup did not start as a tomato sauce at allketchup 一開始根本不是番茄做的醬。 English speakers first used the word in the late 1600s英語使用者最早在一六○○年代晚期用這個字 for a salty sauce they met in Southeast Asia指的是他們在東南亞遇到的一種鹹醬料——closer to a thin fish or soy sauce than to the red stuff we know比較接近稀的魚露或醬油，而不是我們熟悉的那種紅醬。 Tomato went into the bottle much later番茄是後來才加進這瓶醬料裡的， and for a long time British cooks also made ketchup from mushrooms or walnuts而且有很長一段時間，英國廚師也會用蘑菇或核桃做 ketchup。

You can still buy mushroom ketchup in some British shops; it is dark and thin, not red. So the tidy idea “ketchup = tomatoes” is the modern habit, not the whole history. Some American bottles still say catsup, which is the same sauce with an older spelling, not a different food.

You can still buy mushroom ketchup in some British shops你現在還是能在一些英國商店買到 mushroom ketchup（蘑菇醬）；it is dark and thin, not red它是深色、稀稀的，不是紅色的。 So the tidy idea "ketchup = tomatoes" is the modern habit所以「ketchup 等於番茄」這種乾淨俐落的想法，其實是現代才有的習慣， not the whole history而不是完整的歷史。 Some American bottles still say catsup有些美國的瓶子上還是寫 catsup， which is the same sauce with an older spelling那是同一種醬料，只是比較舊的拼法， not a different food不是不同的食物。

It is an everyday table word, not formal. It is not chilli sauce, which is hot, and it is not the pasta sauce in a jar.

It is an everyday table word, not formal這是餐桌上的日常用字，不是正式的說法。 It is not chilli sauce, which is hot它不是辣的 chilli sauce（辣椒醬）， and it is not the pasta sauce in a jar也不是罐子裡那種義大利麵醬。