Banana ketchup - Can it dethrone tomato ketchup?

Who doesn’t love to have some ketchup with fast-foods or traditional fried food items like Singara, Samucha, Chop, etc? This spicy, hot and sour condiment is so popular that it can be found in almost every household. But what if you don’t have enough tomato to produce ketchup? And if such a situation arises, can banana be the substitution for tomato in your wildest thoughts?

Well, banana ketchup is a popular fruit ketchup that originated in the Philippines and has spread throughout the world in the last few decades, thanks to the Filipino diaspora. The ketchup contains traditional elements needed for preparing this type of condiment like vinegar, sugar and spices in addition to banana paste which is the key element of the ketchup.

Ketchup has a relatively recent history. Traditionally, the Philippines is one of the countries which produces the highest number of bananas throughout the world. But when it comes to tomatoes, the country heavily relies on imports from abroad. Hence, to meet the demand of the people with something endemic to the island, like banana, Maria Orosa, a food chemist based in capital city Manila, came up with this idea.

The first mass production of the ketchup took place in 1942 during the Second World War by a company named Jufran, which, to this day, is producing it despite the entity being transferred to a different corporation.

The natural colour of the ketchup is brownish-yellow but it is dyed at times in order to make it look more like the traditional tomato ketchup and therefore, more marketable. The ketchup in general is quite sweet compared to tomato ketchup with a thicker texture, but the difference in taste is not significant enough due to the fact that the other ingredients used are more or less the same.

This ketchup is widely used with foods where tomato ketchup, in general, is the popular condiment when it comes to the context of the Philippines. The Filipinos use it with conventional fast food as well as traditional dishes like Tortang Talong, an eggplant-based omelette, and Filipino spaghetti, a dish that uses banana ketchup instead of the more standard tomato ketchup.

Since the banana ketchup doesn’t differ much from its counterpart made from tomatoes, it can be a good replacement for the tomato ketchup in countries where tomatoes are not indigenous and do not grow in plenty. Also, countries where banana is produced in large numbers, the use of bananas to make ketchup can be an efficient idea as well.

For example, a lot of Central and South American countries have banana as one of their chief export products. Hence, the concept of banana ketchup can be made really popular there as banana has become a major part of their cuisine.

If the perspective of the Indian subcontinent is taken, banana is a part and parcel of the fruit culture here. India is the largest producer of banana in the entire world, with Bangladesh producing a huge amount as well. Already, banana crackers that was launched in Bangladesh by a famous processed food-based company has become extremely popular.

Hence, it is safe to assume that banana ketchup can garner the same level of popularity if produced on a large scale in Bangladesh. Also, Bangladesh can be one of the chief exporters of the condiment as it is still produced by a limited number of corporations.     

However, for banana ketchup to become a global product and to replace tomato ketchup as the most popular condiment used with food, it has to go a long way. Banana ketchup is still considered to be a cultural peculiarity of the Philippines. Albeit, the perception is changing due to the fact that the presence of a huge Filipino diaspora in the western hemisphere is playing a significant role for it to become a part of the local cuisine in countries like the USA, the UK, and Australia.

The extra sweetness of banana ketchup can also act as a disadvantage as a lot of people are used to the more sour taste of tomato ketchup. Hence, it will take a bit of time for people to adjust their taste buds and get used to a new ketchup. As Banana, in general, is very good for digestion as well as keeping the blood sugar to moderate levels, the banana ketchup will also come with its share of unique health benefits.    

People are comparatively more concerned about anything new when it comes to food. But with the passage of time, the new becomes the norm. So, it is only a matter of time for banana ketchup to catch up with the global taste buds.

Rassiq Aziz Kabir is a student of Economics at the University of Dhaka.

email: rassiq.aziz@gmail.com