What is the origin of Thai's putting ketchup on pizza?

[DudleySquat]

I have my theory, but I would like to hear other opinions.

[BE88]

Tomatoes ?

[fondue zoo]

I read elsewhere when this was asked that it was/is? common in China too.

Pre-made marinara sauce isn't readily available, storage, heat, cost, etc. Ketchup, sweeter and in a bottle full of preservatives that never goes bad.

 

 

Edited December 27, 2023 by fondue zoo

[flyingtlger]

Thais love putting condiment on everything!

My Thai buddy loves ketchup so much that he puts ketchup ON ketchup ....

[likerdup1]

It's deeply rooted in Thai tradition. The first Italian explorer to Thailand a one "Guisepee Whoramongera" loved Thailand but could not find any pizza shops anywhere. In a desperate attempt for his favorite food, not being a chef himself shopped for the closest ingredients possible to make himself a pizza. On entering a 7-11 he saw a bottle of Philippine ketchup on display and jumped at the chance to purchase what he thought was tomato sauce. He then found himself the rest of the ingredients by searching the land far and wide. After some attempts at making his pizza it finally worked, but sadly he was so over worked by his efforts passed away in his small apartment on Sukumvit Soi 6.

 

He was found later by police and his Thai neighbors who were curious about this flat bread food that was strewn all about his apartment and the many bottles of ketchup found.

 

It was from this small beginning that Thai people came to know pizza as flat bread and ketchup. It's a truly heart warming anecdote.

[fondue zoo]

 

 

 

 

 

[ezzra]

I think that Thais confuses Pizza sauce with tomato ketchup, but it also might add a  different flavour to the Pizza, who knows...

[DudleySquat]

6 minutes ago, ezzra said:

I think that Thais confuses Pizza sauce with tomato ketchup, but it also might add a  different flavour to the Pizza, who knows...

You are close.

[likerdup1]

10 minutes ago, fondue zoo said:

 

 

 

 

 

They are a very powerful political organization. Don't mess with them!

Edited December 27, 2023 by likerdup1

[it is what it is]

28 minutes ago, fondue zoo said:

I read elsewhere when this was asked that it was/is? common in China too.

Pre-made marinara sauce isn't readily available, storage, heat, cost, etc. Ketchup, sweeter and in a bottle full of preservatives that never goes bad.

 

 

 

saw this when i was traveling in iran too.

[NoDisplayName]

35 minutes ago, fondue zoo said:

I read elsewhere when this was asked that it was/is? common in China too.

Pre-made marinara sauce isn't readily available, storage, heat, cost, etc. Ketchup, sweeter and in a bottle full of preservatives that never goes bad.

 

 

 

A lot of what you find in China is simply copy-&-pasta. 

 

Hotel/restaurant manager wants additional items on the menu, looks through some western foodie magazines, rips out a few pages, and hands them to his "chef" to recreate.

 

The "chef" will make a dish that looks like the item in the photo.  Spaghetti made with ketchup?  Well, it looks right............

[KhunLA]

To the title ... I'm at a loss to how that is a thing, for anyone.   Adding tomato sauce to something that already has as a main ingredient/flavoring.

 

Not just pizza, and seems many add tomato sauce to most western food.  

 

I rarely use tomato sauce on foods that it's traditionally used on.  I consider it the easiest & best way to ruin most things.  Especially the way some folks just smother their food with it.  

 

Same with plain mayo ... not a big fan of either.

[DudleySquat]

1 minute ago, KhunLA said:

Not just pizza, and seems many add tomato sauce to most western food.  

 

My focus was on pizza. 

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, ezzra said:

I think that Thais confuses Pizza sauce with tomato ketchup, but it also might add a  different flavour to the Pizza, who knows...

Definitely they conflate tomato sauce with ketchup.

 

And indeed many Thai "pizzas" use ketchup for this purpose . And they use it for spaghetti sauce too  

 

Same in Cambodia

[DudleySquat]

1 minute ago, Sheryl said:

Definitely they conflate tomato sauce with ketchup.

 

And indeed many Thai "pizzas" use ketchup for this purpose . And they use it for spaghetti sauce too  

 

Same in Cambodia

 

Shocking to the palate. 

[thaibeachlovers]

2 hours ago, DudleySquat said:

I have my theory, but I would like to hear other opinions.

What's wrong with that?

[DudleySquat]

Just now, thaibeachlovers said:

What's wrong with that?

 

Ketchup on pizza? How about mustard? 

[mokwit]

Widespread Pizza outlets was brought to Thailand by Minor group in the '90's with franchise of Pizza Hut - probably required to include the ketchup in line with company rules and Thais just assumed it was an integral part of the dish.

Edited December 27, 2023 by mokwit

[thaibeachlovers]

Just now, DudleySquat said:

 

Ketchup on pizza? How about mustard? 

What sort of mustard? Mild American is different to English mustard. I like Mild American on hot dogs, but never tried it on pizza.

[DudleySquat]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

What sort of mustard? Mild American is different to English mustard. I like Mild American on hot dogs, but never tried it on pizza.

Don't.

[Sheryl]

17 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

To the title ... I'm at a loss to how that is a thing, for anyone.   Adding tomato sauce to something that already has as a main ingredient/flavoring.

 

Not just pizza, and seems many add tomato sauce to most western food.  

 

I rarely use tomato sauce on foods that it's traditionally used on.  I consider it the easiest & best way to ruin most things.  Especially the way some folks just smother their food with it.  

 

Same with plain mayo ... not a big fan of either.

 

The issue is that ketchup is not tomato sauce. (though that is the way Thais and many other Asians apparently view it).

 

It is a condiment that is made from tomatoes, vinegar and sugar. It is in no way similar in taste to the tomato sauces used for pizza and pasta. The addition of a vingar-y condiment completely alters the taste of these foods, and not in a good way....

[Wobblybob]

Tomato ketchup is part of your 1 of 5 a day health food. 🍅

Edited December 27, 2023 by Wobblybob

[bendejo]

They do it in Brazil as well.  In fact, some of the tomato sauces you may encounter are ketchup based in many places in the world.  Yech!

I've had slices down there that were more like open melted cheese sandwiches served on flatbread.  And if your lucky it won't taste of ketchup.

 

[Felton Jarvis]

Ketchup contains sugar. Most Thai people like their food sweeter.

[freeworld]

3 minutes ago, Felton Jarvis said:

Ketchup contains sugar. Most Thai people like their food sweeter.

Correct. My wife made me spaghetti arrabiata last night. She has her nephew and his girlfried staying over for new year and they wanted to try it.

 

They took one mouthful and said it was not sweet enough and started dosing it with ketchup.

[spidermike007]

I think if they have really good tomato sauce no additions are required, but a lot of pizza I've had here has very marginal tomato sauce. Regardless, there's no excuse for putting ketchup on pizza. My older sister used to do that when I was a kid and it would drive me crazy, even as a kid I had enough good sense to not do something like that. 

[FruitPudding]

Definitely wouldn't put ketchup on pizza, but nice to dip the crust into some garlic mayo.

 

I've seen Thais dip yardlong beans into ketchup too.

[OneMoreFarang]

I am sure it's an American invention. They have ideas like that.

 

 

[Real Name Hidden]

10 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I am sure it's an American invention. They have ideas like that.

 

 

FYI: No one puts ketchup on pizza in America.

[Lacessit]

My theory is the Thai cheese they use to make pizza is so bland, it needs a condiment to make it edible.