All the ketchup recipes I've seen as well as all the ketchup

Average Americans can't stomach anything that isn't full of HFCS, there's your answer.

They need their beetus

>>7379666
Because the sweet and sour flavor of the sugar and vinegar work well together with the tomatoes.

If you don't want sugar in your ketchup then go ahead and make it without sugar. No one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to make your ketchup with added sugar.

tomatoes can be pretty acidic, the sugar helps balance the acidity

>>7379666
>Unless I'm overlooking something, there's literally no reason to add sweeteners.

You are indeed overlooking something: all those big condiment manufacturers have large R&D departments. Their recipe has been tweaked by all sorts of double-blind testing. They have found that their ketchup sells better with a certain amount of sweetness added.

Also, given the volume of ketchup produced by companies like Heinz, Hunt's, etc, you can be sure they aren't using top notch tomatoes. They're using whatever they can buy in massive industrial quantities, which probably aren't very tasty to begin with. Thus sweetener is added, but wouldn't be necessary with good home-grown tomatoes.

>>7379676
>>7379681
>>7379693
That makes sense. A bit of a stupid question but would it also work with honey instead of sugar, as a healthier alternative?

>>7379698
Absolutely. I usually use brown sugar and some molasses for mine, but pretty much any kind of sugar would work, as would honey and even stuff like splenda if you really wanted to use it.

File: Life Tomato Ketchup.jpg (26KB, 500x500px) Image search: [Google]

26KB, 500x500px

>>7379666
Here you go

I got my bottle in Ho Chi Minh city.. Its made in Malaysia. its owned my YUM/KFC & its the ketchup in their restaurants in Vietnam. I assume its all over asia, but I can only vouch for Vietnam. it does have sugar bit its not as sweet..

seems bitter compared to US ketchups, but after I ate a few bites of it, I kinda like it.

>>7379729
I assume you can find it at some Asian markets... particularly those markets that are SE Asian based.

>>7379729
website

http://www.lifesauces.com.my/products-favourite-sauces.html

>It's supposed to be salty/savory

no it isn't you fucking moron, ketchup is a sweet sauce

>>7379744
>ketchup is a sweet sauce

and different cultures have different levels of what sweet is. My wife in Vietnamese and EVERYTHING is too sweet.. its why I suggested that ketchup >>7379729
-- if he can find it.

>>7379666
Lots of good guesses, but the fact is that ketchup is a chutney.
Chutneys are made with fruit, which are sweet.
Tomatoes aren't high in sugar, so it needs to be added from another source.

Can you make it without sugar? Yes.
Can you make mashed potatoes without butter? Yes.

>>7379666

Alternatively anon, you can make your own ketchup at home. and add as little sugar as you wish.. its not hard, just takes time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utCRI9bTbe4

>>7379666
If you want tomato sauce ask for tomato sauce.

>>7380034
Even tomato sauce made from scratch is generally better with a little bit of added sugar. Not enough to make it sweet, because tomato sauce shouldn't be sweet, but just enough to balance some of the acidity in the tomatoes.

Your mileage may vary. Different people, different tastes.