In the Australian market there are two key differences between tomato ketchup and tomato sauce – the flavour and the thickness. In other countries the same product may be called something else but for Australia, ketchup is sweeter and thicker than traditional Australian tomato sauce which is more sour and more runny.
Therefore, each of these products has particular foods that they complement. Ketchup tastes great on American-style burgers, and tomato sauce is a great match for an Aussie meat pie.
Flavour preferences in Australia
In Australia we generally have a taste preference for sour that we adopted from the English. Americans tend to have a taste preference for sweet which is why their ketchup is sweeter rather than sour.
Different nations around the world have their own taste preferences, and because Australians on the whole, at least in the past, were descended from English and European countries, we tend towards a sour taste. That’s why when you visit an English pub there is always vinegar on the table to complement potato chips.
In the US, where, for many generations they’ve differentiated themselves from England, they tend towards a sweeter preference, hence their tomato ketchup is a sweeter product, and many of their processed foods will also tend towards sweetness.
The rise of the hamburger
In Australia the first hamburgers were made by Greek or Italian immigrants in their fish and chip and take away food shops. They realised that the traditional Australian tomato sauce was not as good a match for the burger flavours so added BBQ sauce, which is sweeter, even in Australia.
Over time, American hamburgers grew in popularity in Australia thanks to some of the big fast-food chains, but also more recently in the gourmet burger realm. This led to a greater demand in Australia for tomato ketchup to go with the American-style burgers.
And while, tomato ketchup is not likely to take over from traditional Australian tomato sauce it is going to sit alongside it as an alternative. That’s why at Steric we’ve recently launched a tomato ketchup under our Plate & Platter brand for the foodservice industry.
“Australians on the whole, at least in the past, were descended from English and European countries, we tend towards a sour taste.”
In the US, where, for many generations they’ve differentiated themselves from England, they tend towards a sweeter preference, hence their tomato ketchup is a sweeter product, and many of their processed foods will also tend towards sweetness.
Why are some sauces thicker?
Another factor in sauces is the thickness.
The runnier a sauce is, the quick the flavour comes on and the quicker it dissipates. This can be seen in cuisine like Thai that is very popular in Australia. If the sauce is thicker, the flavour takes longer to come on like it does with tomato ketchup.
In Europe, tomato sauce is also thinner but fresher than its counterparts. They use different processing technology, and they value freshness in flavour, and the product is used to complement other foods.
How do you develop a new sauce?
At Steric we have a product develop team of four people whose job it is to produce our range of Australian manufactured products for the foodservice industry along with private label products we make for supermarket and commercial customers.
When developing our new ketchup product, we already understood what a ketchup should taste like, but we still adapted it to suit Australian tastes by making it a little more sour that its American equivalents.
In producing Plate & Platter Tomato Ketchup, we came up with about five to eight variations before settling on our final recipe. It’s a little bit like making wine, we know what it should taste like and try a few variations before settling on the right flavour.
Many of our products have a more complex product development phase like our Plate & Platter Tartare Sauce because tartare can have much great flavour variations. With that product we worked with several commercial chefs to understand their preferences before finalising and launching our tartare for foodservice.
Australian made Tomato Ketchup
Steric produces a range of Sunshine brand sauces for the foodservice industry including Tomato, BBQ, Soy, Worcestershire, Hickory Smoked BBQ, and Sweet Chilli.
The new Plate & Platter Tomato Ketchup is available in a four-litre pack. It can be ordered via Steric’s distributors. Contact Steric at https://www.steric.com.au/contact-us/ or 1800 008 155.