Throughout history, humanity has made many great discoveries and answered many questions. We have gone to the moon and made the internet. We have created many life improvements, both big and small to make life easier and safer. But there is one question that still plagues humanity, one question scientists have failed to answer. If tomato is a fruit, Is ketchup a smoothie?????? In order to answer this question, we must understand how ketchup is made and how the tomatoes come into play.

Tomatoes are harvested in mass by vehicles and machines, Then are shipped to a factory to be cleaned and washed on conveyors, with workers picking out outliers. The tomatoes are then mixed, mixed into liquid cooked in negative pressure to evaporate water, creating paste. This paste is then packaged and sent to the next factory that cooks and packs. Now that the paste is ready, the cooking can begin.The paste has water added, then is cooked and mixed. After a non-enclosed time (for competitive reasons) has past, they start adding ingredients. The most universal ingredients include the tomato paste, vinegar, salt water, sugar and spices. When it is ready, it is packaged in bottles and shipped ready for selling.

Now that we know what goes into the making of ketchup, we can determine what exactly it is. I have compiled a list of the most common categories ketchup usually falls under, and let’s see if ketchup can fit the definition

Condiment. “something used to enhance the flavor of food”. Ketchup seems to fit this criteria quite nicely. However, looking at the other members, things start to get less obvious. There are many condiments, including mayo, mustard and ranch. These seem similar to ketchup enough, but then there’s also relish and salsa? Salsa, relish and ketchup are way different from each other in the creation process and final product, but are used for the same stuff. Condiment is a very general term, calling ketchup a condiment is like calling someone a human, technically correct but can get more specific

Sauce: Thick liquid served with food, usually with savory dishes, to add moistness and flavor. Ketchup is added to dishes to add flavor, but tomato sauce is it’s own thing, and ketchup isn’t tomato sauce. There for ketchup cannot be a sauce or it would break continuity with tomato sauce.

Soda: Flavored drink with high amounts of high fructose corn syrup (sugar) as main ingredient.Like a soda, ketchup could be considered a drink if consumed on its own. Ketchup also has a sugar amount comparable to sodas. However, ketchup lacks one thing that defines soda, carbonation. Ketchup cannot be a soda.

Sports drink: Contains electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and chloride, and a high percentage of sugar to restore energy. Ketchup does have a high amount of sugar to match this category, and ketchup even has a fruit flavor. However, Ketchup doesn’t have electrolytes that sports drinks are known for. Ketchup cannot be a sports drink

Smoothie: A smoothie is a drink made from pureed raw fruit and/or vegetables, using a blender. like traditional smoothies, Tomatoes are technically blended in the early stages of creation. But there is once again one crucial detail that declines ketchup from being a smoothie. Smoothies use raw fruits, in contrast the tomatoes in ketchup are cooked. Therefore, ketchup cannot be a smoothie

It doesn’t seem like ketchup fits 100% in any of the categories most people use. However, there is still one more to consider. Could ketchup be a jelly?

Jelly: Typically made from chunks of fruit (chopped or crushed), cooked with sugar until the fruit reduces down and thickens to a spreadable consistency. Ketchup is made from crushed tomatoes, cooked with sugar and is spread on stuff, like a hamburger or hot dog bun. Other jellies include strawberry and grape jelly, both made from fruits in the same way ketchup is made.

There is one minor problem though, that’s the texture. Ketchup feels way different than other jelly. Yet texture isn’t what dictates what it is. For example: There are many different types of cooked chicken dishes, most have different textures, but they are still chicken. Cooked chicken can be baked, fried, boiled or shredded. Just because ketchup has a different texture doesn’t mean it’s not a jelly.

Ketchup is an interesting topic. It has a lengthy creation process with the tomatoes going through many stages before the final product is ready. People will say that it is used as a sauce, condiment or smoothy, but looking at it’s creation process, it is to be classified not as a sauce or smoothie, but a jelly.