Ketchup's Medicinal Past

It's hard to imagine our favorite condiments as anything other than culinary additions, yet many everyday foods boast surprisingly varied pasts. Such is the case with a popular red sauce that once graced medicine cabinets rather than dining tables. This intriguing chapter in food history began in the 1830s, a time when medical understanding was far less advanced and the public was often susceptible to bold health claims.

During this era, an Ohio physician named Dr. John Cooke Bennett emerged as a proponent of the tomato, not just as a food, but as a powerful therapeutic agent. He formulated a tomato-based recipe, essentially an early form of ketchup, and asserted its ability to cure a range of common ailments. Dr. Bennett claimed his concoction could alleviate indigestion, diarrhea, jaundice, and even rheumatism. He further capitalized on this belief by partnering with a pill salesman, Archibald Miles, to create "extract of tomato pills," which were widely advertised and sold as a universal remedy.

The widespread acceptance of such remedies, often termed "patent medicines," was characteristic of the 19th century. With limited access to professional medical care, especially in rural areas, and doctors sometimes employing harsh treatments like bloodletting, people eagerly sought readily available and seemingly gentler alternatives. These patent medicines, though rarely truly patented, often made extravagant claims and lacked regulation, sometimes even containing harmful or addictive substances. The tomato pill craze, however, proved short-lived, collapsing by 1850 as copycat products, some containing no tomatoes at all, made increasingly outlandish and false claims, leading to public skepticism.

While Dr. Bennett's specific medicinal claims were unfounded, his efforts inadvertently played a role in shifting public perception of the tomato itself. Previously, many Americans in northern regions viewed tomatoes with suspicion, even believing them to be poisonous due to their resemblance to nightshade. The subsequent decline of ketchup as medicine eventually paved the way for its re-emergence as a beloved culinary condiment, a testament to how ingredients can evolve in their perceived purpose over time.