The Ketchup Remix That's Sure To Amp Up Your Condiment Game

Ketchup had an interesting history before it became the invincible condiment it is today. Originally, ketchup wasn't actually made from tomatoes at all but from all sorts of odd ingredients like seafood, lemon peel, or plums. James Mease, a scientist from Philadelphia, is the man we should be thanking for bringing the first original recipe made from love apples (as the tomatoes were once called). A lot has changed since 1812, but ketchup has become an indispensable condiment you can drizzle on just about anything. There's even a theory (ketchup and mustard theory) that ketchup is the reason most fast-food restaurants are red.

The taste of regular ketchup always adds that extra bit of zing to the food and the best part is, you can flavor your ketchup with so many things: from a simple mayo-ketchup combo to the Japanese staple sauce tonkatsu made with ketchup, Worchester sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. History's Stephanie Butler, however, seems to think most Americans are less adventurous when it comes to mixing ketchup with other ingredients. We've got something for you that might change that, but first, we need to take a trip to the ancient Levant.

The ground-up toasted sesame seeds or tahini is a condiment from the Middle East that's been consumed in Arab countries for centuries. It's a ready ingredient for most traditional Middle Eastern recipes, from hummus to baba ghanoush. But today, the use of tahini goes far beyond tradition: with a dollop of the velvety sesame paste you can make a fusion salad dressing with miso or add a touch of toasted notes to carrot cake. Tahini is incredibly versatile, so no wonder it's coming out of the bottom shelves of specialty shops to become a mainstream condiment – Rachel Ringler from Jewish Star thinks "it just might be a new ketchup."

Although tahini and ketchup are two seemingly different condiments, their combination offers something very unique and satisfying. It may sound strange at first, but in the Middle East, the bright acidity and sweetness of tomatoes are often accompanied by the bitter tahini. When you mix ketchup with tahini, the combination takes on an even more rounded flavor: ketchup is much sweeter and more acidic than plain tomatoes, but the earthy bitterness of the tahini balances it out beautifully.

We all love a little fusion cuisine now and then, but the new Middle Eastern-inspired takes on spicy ketchup might really surprise you. The original recipe comes from Michael Solomonov, a James Beard Award-winning Israeli chef, and can be found in his latest cookbook "Israeli Soul." You can also try this striking creation at Solomonov's restaurant Laser Wolf in Brooklyn; Ali Francis of Bon Appetit had the opportunity to taste it and she swears by it.

So what makes this mysterious blend of ketchup and tahini so amazing? Well, there are a few more "secret" ingredients that Solomonov puts in it: Amba sauce (an authentic Middle Eastern mango sauce) and harissa are what give the sauce extra fruitiness and spicy aromatics. If you want to stock up your pantry (and take it to the next level) — tahini ketchup is a condiment you need to add.