FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Ancient Flavor

Condiments. They're so common you probably don't even notice them but they're on every table in America, and around the globe for that matter. From local diners to fancy restaurants, tables are often laden with an assortment of condiments. In one form or another these flavor boosters are utilized in every culture -- from the crisp salsas of Latin America to the sweet and sour chutneys of the Near East, and fiery harissa of North Africa to pesto, rouille and aïoli of Western Europe. And let's not forget our modest ketchup, mustard and hot pepper sauce.

Sweet and spicy, hot and sour, chunky or smooth, the options are limitless when creating condiments. These full flavored accompaniments are loved by all and with today's quest for low fat/high flavor (and low labor) they are a perfect choice; they're also a great way to stay cool in the kitchen during the hot weather. The versatility of condiments is unparalleled, and it would be difficult to exaggerate the universal appeal they have. Interestingly, like most foodstuffs condiments began out of necessity, as a form of food preservation. In fact the word condiment is based on the Latin condimentum; its derivatives are condire and condere, which mean to season, pickle or store.

While ketchup and mustard are the two most likely candidates as the American favorites they have actually been surpassed by salsa in retail sales. With America's seemingly insatiable appetite for full flavored and spicy foods this doesn't really come as a surprise, but it gave ketchup companies a pretty good wakeup call. In response to the public's demand for spice in the early 1990's many ketchup producers began to make a variety of flavored ketchups, including spicy, barbeque and smoked-flavored.

English Sailors first encountered ketchup in the Far East where it's been produced for centuries. They discovered Chinese cooks using a pungent sauce they referred to as ke-tsiap, the Chinese word for pickled fish sauce. Believe-it-or-not it was originally made from fermented fish entrails. This aboriginal seasoning that the sailors discovered was probably not unlike nuoc mam, the famous fish sauce of Vietnam and Thailand, or the ancient sauce Garum -- a ubiquitous ingredient in almost all Roman cooking; both are based on fermented fish. The sailors loved this seasoning not only for its ability to spice up their monotonous diets, but also because it would not become tainted during long voyages. When this mysterious sauce was brought back to Britain, not surprisingly, it was not well received. And because the thought of consuming the liquid of fermented fish guts didn't sit well with many British, in England ketchup was initially made from mushrooms, anchovies, fruits and even walnuts. It wasn't until the tomato made its first appearance in Britain that it was used to make ketchup. In our country the Heinz Company has been producing ketchup since 1876. Ironically, today chefs across the country are pairing their foods with a variety of homemade ketchups, and some are based on such eclectic ingredients (or more appropriately, original ingredients) as mushrooms, fruits and walnuts.

Prepared mustard is also one of those condiments that is so universal it's hard to imagine that it's actually derived from a little seed, and that it hasn't always been available in little clear jars on supermarket shelves. The word mustard is derived from the Latin must arde, meaning burning wine or must (unripe grape juice or unfermented wine). Though mustard seed has been cultivated in China and the Mediterranean region for more than 3000 years it was the Romans who first carried mustard seeds to France, where the legendary Dijon mustard was born. The most famous of the Dijon mustards, Grey Poupon, was founded in 1777 by Monsieur Grey and Monsieur Poupon. The original building, at 32 Rue de le Liberté, in Dijon, now serves as a mustard museum. What's really interesting is that prepared mustard is made the same way as it always has been -- whole mustard seeds are macerated in wine or vinegar and allowed it to steep.