Banana ketchup or banana sauce is a popular Philippine condiment made from mashed banana, sugar, vinegar, and spices. Its natural color is brownish, so it is often dyed red to resemble tomato ketchup. Banana ketchup was made when there was a shortage of tomato ketchup during World War II, due to lack of tomatoes and a comparatively high production of bananas.[1]
Flavor and use
Banana ketchup is sweeter than tomato ketchup and is similar in taste to the Indonesian Kecap manis and the Thai sweet chili sauce. In Filipino households, this ubiquitous condiment is used on just about any dish - omelettes (torta), hot dogs, burgers, fries, fish and other meats. Banana ketchup is also a vital and distinct ingredient in Filipino-style spaghetti (sweeter than the traditional Italian spaghetti).[2] There is also a "hot" version made by the same company (Jufran). It still has a hint of sweetness, couple with spicy-hot taste.
It is exported to countries where there is a considerable Filipino population (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Hong Kong, France, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand).
