image of a hot dog with animated ketchup and mustard bottles
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Paired Texts,

Ketchup and Mustard

You know them. You love them. But where did they come from? Learn the strange stories behind America’s favorite flavors.

By Tricia Culligan
From the September 2020 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will compare and contrast information as they read two narrative, nonfiction articles about the history and modern-day uses of ketchup and mustard.

Lexiles: 500L-600L, 600L-700L
Guided Reading Level: N
DRA Level: 28
Featured Skill: Compare and Contrast,
Common Core Standards
  • R,1, R.2, R.3, R.5, R.7, R.9, W.2, SL.1, L.1
TEKS Standards
  • TEKS Grade 3:
    1a, 1c, 3a, 6a, 6b, 6e, 6g, 6h, 6.i, 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7g, 9d, 12b

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Think and Read: Compare and Contrast

As you read the stories behind ketchup and mustard, look for how ketchup and mustard are alike and how they are different.

Ketchup 

Where Does Ketchup Come From?

XPIXEL/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Ketchup’s story begins thousands of years ago. It was first made in Southeast Asia. People used the condiment as a salty sauce on fish. It was made from fish guts!

Ketchup chefs have whipped up some wild recipes over the years. Some added walnuts. Others mixed in mushrooms. The recipes were pretty popular. But then a chef tried squeezing in juicy red tomatoes. Tomato ketchup was a winner. Squashed tomatoes are still ketchup’s number one ingredient today.

Ketchup’s story began thousands of years ago. Ketchup was first made in Asia. The condiment was used as a sauce on fish. Ketchup was made from fish guts back then!

Over time, ketchup changed. Chefs whipped up new recipes. Some chefs added nuts. Others mixed in mushrooms. Then a chef added tomatoes. Ketchup made with tomatoes was a winner. Squashed tomatoes are its main ingredient today.

THE ADVERTISING ARCHIVES/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Come Get Your Ketchup!

Check out this ad for ketchup in the 1910s.

Who Made It Popular in America?

We have Henry Heinz to thank for modern American ketchup. In the 1870s, companies were creating ketchup with chemicals. This helped the tomatoes stay fresh longer. 

Heinz cooked up a new recipe in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He cut down on chemicals and added vinegar, which is sour. Mixed with sugar and spices, the fiery-red sauce was a hit. People went wild for the sweet, rich taste. 

We can thank Henry Heinz for American ketchup. In the late 1800s, companies added chemicals to their ketchup. The chemicals helped the tomatoes stay fresh longer.

Heinz created a new recipe in Pennsylvania. He cut down on chemicals. Heinz added vinegar, which is sour. He mixed in sugar. He put in spices. The red sauce was a hit. People loved its sweet, rich taste.

How Do People Use It Today?

Ketchup is enjoyed around the world. In Poland, people pour it on pizza. In Sweden, people squeeze it over pasta. In Canada, people bake sweet ketchup cakes. And here in America, ketchup is a favorite to squirt on hot dogs or swirl on french fries. Others enjoy spooning it on scrambled eggs or mac and cheese!

Ketchup is used around the world. In Poland, people put ketchup on pizza. In Sweden, it’s added to pasta. In Canada, ketchup is baked into sweet cakes. In America, people squirt it on hot dogs or french fries. Others eat ketchup on eggs or mac and cheese!  

Mustard 

Where Does Mustard Come From?

DOMNITSKY/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

The story of mustard starts thousands of years ago. It begins in a place known as the Roman Empire. This was a powerful kingdom. It controlled a huge part of the world, including land on Africa, Asia, and Europe. Ancient Romans were clever. They built roads and buildings that still stand today. They also invented mustard.

The first recipe was simple—crush mustard seeds, then add water or another liquid. But it wasn’t very tasty. It was mostly used to soothe bug bites!

Soon people figured out how to make it taste better. They mixed the mustard seeds with spices and vinegar. They would spread it on wild pig. Yum!

Mustard’s story began thousands of years ago. This story started in a place called the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was big and strong. The people from the Roman Empire were smart. They built roads and buildings that are still here. They also created the first mustard recipe.

This recipe was simple: crushed mustard seeds and water. But the mustard wasn’t very tasty. Most of the time, people used it to make bug bites feel better!

Soon people figured out how to make mustard taste better. They mixed mustard seeds with spices and vinegar. The sauce was spread on wild pig. Yum!

JIM MCMAHON/MAPMAN® 

The Birthplace of Mustard
It was first made here about 2,000 years ago.

Who Made It Popular in America?

We have George and Francis French to thank for modern American mustard. In Rochester, New York, their company made mustard a little sweeter—and less mild. The brothers showed off their recipe at a famous fair. People loved how it tasted on hot dogs. The sunny-yellow sauce was a hit! 

We can thank two brothers for modern American mustard. George and Francis French had a company in New York. Their company made mustard that was sweeter. It was also less mild. The brothers brought their mustard to a fair. People loved how it tasted on hot dogs. The yellow sauce was a hit!

How Do People Use It Today?

Mustard is enjoyed across the globe. English and Japanese mustard is a hot powder. Dijon mustard from France is a thick, creamy paste. And the French brothers’ yellow mustard is an American favorite to squirt on hot dogs, sandwiches, and more! 

Mustard is used around the world. English and Japanese mustard is a hot powder. Dijon mustard from France is creamy. In America, the French brothers’ mustard is squirted on hot dogs, sandwiches, and more!  

THINK AND WRITE

How are the stories of ketchup and mustard alike? How are their stories different? Answer in a well-organized paragraph, using details from both texts.

THINK AND WRITE

How are the stories of ketchup and mustard alike? How are their stories different? Answer in a well-organized paragraph, using details from both texts.

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Can't Miss Teaching Extras
Watch This

Ever wondered how ketchup is made today? This 6-minute video will take your students all the way to the Netherlands for a tour of a Heinz factory, where they make 1.8 million bottles every day!

Explore This

In addition to mustard, ancient Romans are known for countless inventions such as concrete, roads, and aqueducts. Learn about Ancient Rome and life 2,000 years ago with these interactive pages from DK Find Out.

From the Storyworks 3 Archives

If your students love learning about food, they’re sure to enjoy our paired texts from September 2017: “Hamburger History” and “Tacos Take Over.”

More About the Article

Content-Area Connections

Social Studies: world history, American history, geography

Science: food science

Social-Emotional Learning: responsible decision-making (identifying problems)

Key Skills

compare and contrast, text features, vocabulary, key details, summarizing, figurative language, key idea, drawing conclusions, synthesizing, text to self, explanatory writing

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

1. PREPARING TO READ

Preview Text Features/ Set a Purpose for Reading (10 minutes)

  • Look at page 24 with the class. Point out the labels “Paired Texts” and “One topic, two stories.” Have a volunteer read aloud the title and subtitle on pages 24 and 25. Then ask students to identify the topic of both stories. (the story of two American toppings, ketchup and mustard)

  • Ask students: What do you already know about ketchup and mustard? What do you think you’ll learn about ketchup and mustard by reading the articles?

  • Point to the Heinz ketchup ad on page 26. Explain that this is a magazine ad from more than 100 years ago for a favorite American brand of ketchup that students will learn about in the first story. Read aloud the ad lines “Tomato Ketchup” and “A perfect relish!” Tell students that a relish is a topping for food made out of fruits, vegetables, or herbs. Ask students to describe the picture in the ad. Have they ever used ketchup on their food? How would they describe the flavor?

  • Read the first subhead on page 26 with students. Explain that ketchup was first made long ago in Southeast Asia. Point to that area of the world on a classroom map. [map: https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map_of_southeast_asia.htm]

  • Direct students to the map of the Roman Empire on page 27. Explain that the capital city of this ancient, powerful kingdom has a star next to its name. Then ask students to find Rome on the map. Help them use the compass rose to identify the directions that people in ancient Rome would have traveled to reach Africa and Asia.

  • Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read box on page 25 and the Think and Write box on page 27. As students read both articles, remind them to look for details that explain how the stories of ketchup and mustard are alike and different.

Preview Vocabulary (15 minutes)

  • We have highlighted in bold six terms that may be challenging and defined them on the page. Some of these terms, like hot, will be familiar to students but are used in the article in a way that may be unfamiliar. Preview these terms by projecting or distributing our Vocabulary Skill Builder (available in your Resources tab) and completing it as a class. You may also play our Vocabulary Slideshow, where images help students with comprehension.

  • Highlighted terms: condiment, whipped up, squashed, rich, mild, hot

2. CLOSE READING

Reading and Unpacking the Text

  • First read:  Students should read each article one time for general comprehension. 
  • Second Read:  Project, distribute, or assign the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions (available in your Resources tab) to the class. Preview them together. Ask students to read the articles again and answer the questions as a class or in pairs.

Close-Reading Questions (30 minutes)

  1. Read the first section of “Ketchup.” How was ketchup first used thousands of years ago? (key details) People in Southeast Asia used ketchup as a salty sauce for fish.
  2. Read “Who Made It Popular in America?” How did Henry Heinz improve the ketchup recipe? (summarizing) He cut down on the chemicals and added vinegar, sugar, and spices.
  3. The author writes that “people went wild” for the taste of Heinz’s ketchup. What does this phrase tell you about people’s reaction to Heinz’s new recipe? (figurative language) The phrase “people went wild” tells you that people really liked the flavor of Heinz’s ketchup.
  4. Read “How Do People Use It Today?” How do people in Poland and Canada use tomato ketchup? (compare and contrast) In Poland, people put it on pizza. In Canada, they use ketchup to bake sweet cakes.
  5. Read the first section of “Mustard.” What information from this section is shown in the map on page 27? (text features) The map gives you an idea of how large the Roman Empire was. Also it shows the land controlled by the Roman Empire in Asia, Africa, and other parts of Europe.
  6. Why did people change the ancient Romans’ original recipe for mustard? (key idea) The recipe didn’t taste very good and was mostly used to soothe bug bites. To improve the flavor, people changed the recipe by mixing mustard seeds with spices and vinegar.
  7. Read “Who Made It Popular in America?” Why are George and Francis French important figures in the story of mustard? (drawing conclusions) Their company changed the recipe for mustard by making it sweeter and less mild. This new recipe was a huge hit at a famous fair where people used it on their hot dogs.
  8. Read “How Do People Use It Today?” Why are both the French brothers’ mustard and Heinz’s ketchup described as American favorites? (synthesizing) Americans love squirting both condiments on their hot dogs and other foods.

Critical-Thinking Question (10 minutes)

  1. What did Henry Heinz and the French brothers do to the recipes of ketchup and mustard to help the condiments become popular in America? (synthesizing) Heinz and the French brothers changed the recipes for ketchup and mustard. Both condiments became very popular in America after the taste of each was improved. Henry Heinz used fewer chemicals and added vinegar, sugar, and spices to give ketchup a sweet, rich taste. The French brothers created a new recipe that made mustard a little sweeter and less mild.
  2. If you had been at the fair where the French brothers offered their new type of mustard, do you think you would have tried it? Why or why not? (text to self) Answers will vary.

3. SKILL AND KNOWLEDGE BUILDING

Featured Skill: Compare and Contrast

  • Distribute our Compare and Contrast Skill Builder (available in your Resources tab) and have students complete it in class or for homework.  

  • Discuss the writing assignment in the Think and Write box on page 27. Remind students to include details from both articles when writing their paragraphs.

GREAT IDEAS FOR REMOTE LEARNING

  • Hold a whole-class or small-group discussion of the close-reading and critical-thinking questions. As in your physical classroom, establish rules for discussion and appropriate ways to respond to one another. You might have students use a “raise hand” emoji in your virtual classroom or ask students to respond to questions in the chat feature.

Differentiate and Customize
For Struggling Readers

Read the lower-Lexile version of the articles while students follow along. As they read, ask them to underline, highlight, or otherwise take note of facts about the histories of ketchup and mustard and how each flavor is used in food today. Remote learning tip: When students read the article online in Presentation View, they can use the highlighter tool to mark the text. Which fact surprised them the most? Which article did they find more interesting? Why?

For ELL Students

Have students listen to the audio version of the articles while they follow along. Ask them to underline, highlight, or otherwise take note of details that describe how ketchup and mustard taste. Remote learning tip: When students read the article online in Presentation View, they can use the highlighter tool to mark the text. Write their answers on a chart and read them aloud with the group. Then have students name their favorite sauce or spice from their own country. How does it taste? How is it used in food? Why do they like it?

For Advanced Readers

Have students reread the articles and look for details that describe why people love to eat ketchup and mustard and how they use it in their food. Ask them to create an illustrated ad for either condiment. Their ads should include a title, a picture, and descriptive details. Students can discuss their ads in small groups or pairs. 

For School or at Home

Ask students to think about the ways that ketchup and mustard make food tastier. Then invite them to invent their own condiment to make food more fun to eat. What ingredients would they use? How would their condiment look, taste, and smell? What would they name it? Have students describe their new condiment in a short paragraph. They might want to make their new recipe at home (with the help of an adult) and report back on how it tastes.

Text-to-Speech