Manufacturers will continue to spell it catchup and catsup, but the spelling here shown is that which best resembles its source, the Chinese term, ke-tsiap.
The Dutch, who were heavy importers of this Asiatic condiment in the eighteenth century, spelled it ketjap, indicating a pronunciation very similar to ketchup.
The original importation, however, was a sauce composed from the juices of edible fungi, chiefly mushrooms, salted for preservation and spiced.
