Pepper Catsup
Prior to World War II, the South had more than one catsup, more than just slow flowing, sugary vinegary tomato catsup. There were half a dozen kinds—mushroom catsup, green walnut catsup, cucumber catsup, Pontac catsup [made of elderberries], Lemon catsup, and Bell Pepper Catsup. These catsups operated in the older southern cookery much as chutneys do in Indian cuisine—providing a sweet acid tang to a bland tasting grain base (rice or hominy) and umami from amino acids. While mushroom catsup was the oldest condiment of this family, and green walnut second in antiquity, the one catsup (besides tomato) that had an enduring influence on Lowcountry and Gulf Coast dishes was pepper catsup made of green or red bell peppers. It emerged as a favorite condiment in the second quarter of the nineteenth century and remained a fixture until the 1930s. Next to Worcestershire sauce, and vying with Chow Chow and Artichoke relish, it enjoyed favorite status as a condiment for meats and grain dishes in the southern repertoire. It is still made by home canners in the South Carolina midlands.
While both green and red bell pepper catsup came into being in the 1800s, the earliest recipes are for the ripe red bell pepper. Mary L. Edgeworth included one such recipe and an application in her Southern Gardener and Receipt-Book on the eve of the Civil War.
Pepper Catsup Southern Gardener and Receipt-Book
Take fifty pods of large red bell pepper—seed, and add to them a quart of vinegar. Boil them until you can mash out the pulp through a sieve. Season with cloves, mace, spice, onions, salt, and two spoonfuls of sugar; then boil to the proper consistency.
In the midst of the Civil War, the first of Green Bell Pepper recipes appeared in print. It is particularly interesting for its approach to boiling and processing the peppers. (Bore a hole in the side of each bell, boil, then when soft, pull the stem out, which will take the seeds with it.) It became such a standard Lowcountry dish that home manufacturers popped into existence, selling bottles to grocery stores. Mt. Pleasant, S.C., became particularly known for its pepper catsup. In the 1890s as national newspapers are wont to do, the press began taking up the regional specialty to make it an exotic addition to the national table. It enjoyed a vogue that lasted until World War I.
When Blanche S. Rhett announced that she was collecting recipes for what would become the landmark 1930 book, 200 Years of Carolina Cooking, other of the grand dames tried to steal the thunder of the collection by publishing their own gatherings of traditional recipes. Deas Ravenel in February of 1930 offered the best of these collections under the title “Kooking Krinkles.” Amid receipts for Okra Soup, Hominy Bread, Hoppin’ John, Orange Marmalade, Crab Soup, Pickled Shrimp and Vegetable Pie, was her “Grandmother’s Pepper Catsup”
Grandmother’s Red Pepper Catsup Charleston News and Courier 2-26-1930
12 red bell peppers
4 large onions
1 tablspn cloves
1 tablspn (ground) ginger
7 glasses of vinegar
1 tablspn sugar
1 tablspn cinnamon
A little salt
1 tblspon powdered mace
Boil in tin vessel. Strain through sieve. L.S. (24)
Blanche Rhett included Mrs. E. H. Prioleau’s recipe for “Red Pepper Catsup,” made of long hot peppers, a forerunner of Texas Pete, rather than the more austerely classic Tabasco Sauce. Classic pepper catsup had several applications—as a condiment for meat patties (veal and lamb as well as hamburgers), as a condiment for rice, and in the 1980s and afterwards for grits. Yet this once popular condiment—that had its own category in the canning judging in the State Fair from the 1867 to 1970—became a partial victim of the hot pepper boom of the last half of the twentieth century, when commercial brands such as Snider’s Chili Pepper Catsup captured the taste buds of Carolinians.
Sources: Mary L. Edgeworth, Southern Garden and Receipt Book (Philadelphia: Lippincott & Co., 1860), 148. Deas Ravenel, “Kooking Krinkles-Grandmother’s Pepper Catsup,” Charleston Post and Courier (February 26, 1930), 4-C. Blanche S. Rhett, “Red Pepper Catsup,” Two Hundred Years of Charleston Cooking (New York: J. Cape and H. Smith, 1930), Bessie Murphy, “The Weekly Cooking School,” Charleston Evening Post (June 24, 1943), 4-B.