I think spelling ketchup as "catsup"
is a much greater and ridicule-
worthy offense.

Not according to the ninth edition of Webster's where "catsup" is given as the standard and "ketchup" as the variant.

jbw wrote:

I think spelling ketchup as "catsup"
is a much greater and ridicule-
worthy offense.

Not according to the ninth edition of Webster's where "catsup" is given as the standard and "ketchup" as the variant.

Actually, I should amplify this somewhat to be fair, since the 9th edition was published in 1983, and in the 80s there was a dramatic shift in usage as a result of the following:

"In the 1980s, there was some issue over how to classify 'Ketchup' under the federal food program, and the feds, those ever-clever fellows, declared that Ketchup would appear on school lunch menus as a vegetable. This created a lot of angst over at the old Del Monte Catsup works because, suddenly, their Catsup, due to its spelling, was out of the loop and excluded from the government's approved list. Not very long after that, Del Monte changed the name of its product from 'Catsup' to 'Ketchup.'" ( from http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/FOOD_IS_A ... tchup.html)

Since then, all marketers, to be on the safe side, have followed Del Monte's example, and "ketchup" now predominates, although both spellings are still perfectly acceptable, except among those, I assume, who are convinced "ketchup" is a vegetable.

jbw wrote:and the feds, those ever-clever fellows, declared that Ketchup would appear on school lunch menus as a vegetable.

this made me laugh out loud.

While I could not fathom putting Ketchup on a Hot Dog, I always put it on a Francheeze. There must be something wrong with me.

Wondering if anyone has actually ordered a "Maxwell Street Polish" at Jim's Original?

I like ketchup on corndogs.
And grilled onions on dogs sometimes, and sauerkraut from time to time, and tomatoes if they're nice ones, and I'll eat the pickle spear on the dog some days and eat it on the side others. And when I'm feeling nostalgic, just mustard. One time I tried kimchee on a dog and it ruled- who'd have thunk it?
Variety is the spice of life, after all.

I am on record making this confesion

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... 692#146692

iblock9 wrote:Doug's seems to be the only place I can think of that has grilled onions as part of the regular set up.

White Sox Park on a Best's Kosher Dog.

T Comp wrote:

iblock9 wrote:Doug's seems to be the only place I can think of that has grilled onions as part of the regular set up.

White Sox Park on a Best's Kosher Dog.

Nodding in agreement...


Also, on another note, why doesn't either ballpark offer chicago toppings? At the very least, I'd like to see some sport peppers available.

Ketchup, catsup, catchup. So far 3 spellings for this word. Anybody holding out on another one?

ab wrote:

T Comp wrote:

iblock9 wrote:Doug's seems to be the only place I can think of that has grilled onions as part of the regular set up.

White Sox Park on a Best's Kosher Dog.

Nodding in agreement...


Also, on another note, why doesn't either ballpark offer chicago toppings? At the very least, I'd like to see some sport peppers available.

Wrigley offers sport peppers with their "Chicago Style" hot dog, which is a Best's Kosher "charred" with grilled onions (not to be confused with the Ball Park franks that they sell at the regular concession stands or with the walking vendors. You have to go to one of the three carts (left field entrance, right field entrance, or bleachers to get it. They used to have Hebrew Nationals "charred" with grilled onions and the option of pepper rings. I'm guessing since both parks use Levy Concessions, they both have the same options?

Cogito wrote:Ketchup, catsup, catchup. So far 3 spellings for this word. Anybody holding out on another one?

San Francisco Chronicle: Ketchup? Catsup? Ke-cap? / Whatever the name, a squirt of red can change everything

Get in your car. Start driving in any direction other than Wisconsin. Drive for three hours. Go into a grocery store and buy a standard pack of hot dogs. Boil the skinless little things on your carburetor. Put in a bun. Take a bite.

Your first thought: Ketchup would taste pretty good on that, actually.

Hot dogs are much blander in other parts of America. Bologna dogs, I've been known to call them-- no garlic, no paprika. The sweetness and saltiness and umami of ketchup adds complexity to such a bland meat emulsion. Where it seems all wrong on a Germanically garlicky and robust wurst like a Chicago dog, which just needs the vinegary bite of mustard to dial up its natural sharpness.

So ketchup on hot dogs is not wrong. Ketchup on good hot dogs is wrong.

A char dog with grilled onions and ketchup...MMMMMMMM, but not a Chicago Style Dog. Sometimes mustard does the trick; depends on the mood. I figure condiments are a pretty personal decision and if someone liked something like shrimp salad on their hot dog, who am I to tell them they're wrong? Kind of like pizza toppings.

I have a much bigger issue with pizza in Chicago being cut into 'squares'. Slices are much easier to handle and much more egalitarian. Any thoughts from anyone on this wonderful Chicago tradition?

jbambuti wrote:I have a much bigger issue with pizza in Chicago being cut into 'squares'. Slices are much easier to handle and much more egalitarian. Any thoughts from anyone on this wonderful Chicago tradition?

Squares are much better suited for grazing, like as a bar snack, which is what most of Chicago's thin crust is.

Mike G wrote: Bologna dogs, I've been known to call them-- no garlic, no paprika.

I agree that Oscar Mayer dogs taste basically like Oscar Mayer bologna in sausage form. However, would you put ketchup on a bologna sandwich? I know I wouldn't. Mustard all the way. I'd say mustard belongs on both good and bad dogs, but to each their own.

Binko wrote:would you put ketchup on a bologna sandwich?

In Memphis they serve BBQ Bologna. It is a staple at most,althought not the germantown commissary, bbq joints in memphis. It is really tasty. Covered in bbq sauce. Not exactly the same thing as ketchup but much closer then mustard on bologna

Weirdos. (Still, BBQ sauce sounds much more palatable than ketchup on a bologna sandwich).

Ketchup (which is sweet) on a hot dog is redundant if you have the sweet relish. I believe that's the reasoning for no ketchup on a Chicago hot dog.

I dislike char-dogs totally.

Ironically, there is nothing inconsistent with ketchup (tomato-based) on beef which is what Chicago hot dogs are since they are "kosher". Mustard goes on pork and pork sausages. So, really the beef hot dog should have ketchup and not mustard if you think about it.

Plus, real Polish sausage is pork, but Vienna-brand is beef since it's a jewish company.

RiverWester wrote:Ironically, there is nothing inconsistent with ketchup (tomato-based) on beef which is what Chicago hot dogs are since they are "kosher". Mustard goes on pork and pork sausages. So, really the beef hot dog should have ketchup and not mustard if you think about it.

Well, I don't really agree with the idea that ketchup goes with beef and mustard goes with pork. Mustard is standard in plenty of beef dishes. Like, say, a roast beef sandwich. That gets mustard and/or horseradish. Or plenty of other roast beef preparations. In fact, the only beef dish I could think of that goes standard with ketchup is a hamburger.

I would guess that the reasoning for the "no ketchup" rule, other than taste, is that ketchup simply was not the traditional accompaniment to sausage brought over by our ancestors from the Old World. Tomato ketchup in the late 1800s/early 1900s was a very American condiment, so it's no surprise to me that immigrant hot dog and other sausage vendors would not serve ketchup with their food.

Binko wrote:I would guess that the reasoning for the "no ketchup" rule, other than taste, is that ketchup simply was not the traditional accompaniment to sausage brought over by our ancestors from the Old World. Tomato ketchup in the late 1800s/early 1900s was a very American condiment, so it's no surprise to me that immigrant hot dog and other sausage vendors would not serve ketchup with their food.

Yes - ketchup as we have come to know it (by Heinz) is a fairly modern commercial concoction not easily replicated in kitchens (if you're trying to make it taste like commercial ketchup). Unlike mustard, which is easy to make and thusly has been around forever (I'm guessing there), and is something for which any good Central European has a recipe.