Have you ever heard of banana ketchup? It may not be as popular as tomato ketchup in the west, but it’s actually a cooking staple in the Philippines. It’s made from bananas, sugar, spices, and vinegar, and it’s a sweet condiment that’s used with many different dishes.
A Philippines Staple
Banana ketchup is the most famous edible invention of food scientist María Orosa, a Filipina food technologist who studied food chemistry in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. She wanted to make sustainable foods that could easily be made in the Philippines using locally grown ingredients, and that’s how she came up with banana ketchup.
What to Pair it With
If you want to try to make it or you have a chance to try a store-bought kind, you can pair it with many different foods, just like other condiments. It makes for a great chicken fingers dip, can be used with meatloaf, or simply with French fries. Banana ketchup also works great with eggs, rice, vegetables, or anything else you can think of!
