Blender Tips

Is Ketchup A Smoothie Since Tomato Is Called A Fruit?

Is ketchup a smoothie? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself for years. It just seems, well, odd that something as wet and gooey as tomato is considered a fruit. And if it is a fruit then shouldn’t we put tomatoes on our list of favorite fruits? The more I think about it, the less sense it makes to me.

To be honest with you, this question has been nagging at my mind for quite some time now and I have decided to address this question in this post.

	if tomato is a fruit is ketchup a smoothie

How Tomato Ketchup Is Made

As Wikipedia puts it, Ketchup is a “piquant sauce” or “catsup.” It is made from tomatoes, sweeteners like sugar, spices and vinegar. The ingredients are mixed together in a vat and cooked until the mixture becomes thick. Then it’s put into bottles or jars for everyone to use at their discretion.

What Classifies As A Smoothie?

A smoothie is defined as a “blend of various ingredients in a blender with ice or other liquid.” The types of ingredients that are used to make the smoothies vary, but fruit juices like apple and orange are quite popular. You can also find other ingredients like milk, yogurt, honey and ice cream inside them too.

Now here’s the kicker…

If tomato truly is a fruit then shouldn’t ketchup be considered a smoothie? After all, it does contain similar ingredients like tomatoes and sugar. In fact, the only ingredients that differ from a smoothie are vinegar and spices.

This may sound absurd to you, but I am going by the definition of these two words. If tomatoes were considered a fruit then ketchup would be a smoothie too. That’s just how it works!

Is Ketchup A Smoothie?

To answer my own question, I was tempted to say yes initially because they do share some similarities. But after giving it more thought I realized that they really don’t resemble each other at all if we’re being completely honest here.

Well, as odd as it sounds tomato is not a fruit and everything makes perfect sense now.

Ketchup is definitely not a smoothie!

Related Post: Vitamix Tomato Juice Recipe

Why Ketchup Is Not A Smoothie

1. Tomato Doesn’t Blend Well

If you tried to blend up tomato into a smoothie they would most definitely become chunky since they don’t break down easily when blended with water like other fruits do; therefore they can never really be a smoothie.

2. You Can’t Add Ice To It

Ice is one of the main ingredients in a smoothie and it helps to “blend” all of the fruit together so that you can drink it. Since tomatoes don’t blend well with ice you would never be able to add ice cubes to your ketchup!

3. Tomato Is Full Of Water

Water is another ingredient in a smoothie and without water there wouldn’t be any liquid in our drinks since they’re made from blended fruit/vegetables and ice! This means if we were to blend up some fresh tomatoes they would become super duper watered down and give us nothing but tomato water (not good).

4. Smoothies Are Cold, Ketchup Is Cooked

One of the distinctive characteristics of a smoothie is that it’s cold! This is because ice usually goes into making a smoothie and if you don’t have any then your drink will be room temperature. The other thing that makes a smoothie unique is that it has to be served chilled.

Since ketchup is made by cooking the ingredients together it wouldn’t be cool enough to call it a smoothie.

5. Ketchup Can Be Stored For Longer

Smoothies are a “fresh” fruit/vegetable drink that can spoil very quickly. However, since ketchup is cooked and then bottled it will last much longer.

So as you can see tomato isn’t a smoothie at all! But you probably already knew that anyway… right?

6. Ketchup Has Vinegar And High Amount Of Sugar

Another thing that makes ketchup not a smoothie is the fact that it has vinegar and lots of sugar in it. These two ingredients are also not usually included in the making of a smoothie!

7. Ketchup Was Not Originally Made From Tomatoes

There was a point in history when people would turn almost anything into ketchup including walnuts, mushrooms, etc. The most common thing used to make ketchup was actually honey!

8. Tomato Doesn’t Have A Sweet Taste

If you’ve ever eaten a tomato, before it becomes a ketchup-y fruit, you would know that tomatoes don’t have a sweet taste to them at all! They are pretty much the opposite of sweet and aren’t meant to be consumed as they are (they’re not very tasty).

However, strawberries or bananas on the other hand are both very sweet and delicious fruits that belong in smoothies!

9. It’s Called Tomato Sauce In Other Countries

In the UK ketchup isn’t called ketchup at all, it is called tomato sauce instead. So if ketchup isn’t really a smoothie what should we call it? Tomato sauce is the closest thing I can think of but that’s still not quite right.

10. Most Smoothies Are Actually Healthy

The majority of smoothies include things like veggies and fruit! This would mean drinking a “smoothie” filled with tomatoes and sugar isn’t very good for you at all! For some strange reason I’m thinking drinking something made from pureed up vegetables sounds more appetizing than eating them whole.

11. Tomato Is A Fruit But It Isn’t Served As One

People don’t eat their tomatoes like they do an apple (by peeling it and cutting it up). Instead they dip their vegetables and bread into tomato sauce or eat it as a side with their meal.

12. Ketchup Is Generally Sweetened With Sugar Instead Of Honey Like It Used To Be

Tomatoes don’t pack a punch of sugar so this means ketchup is generally sweetened with white sugar instead. If you ask me this sounds even worse than being made from tomatoes!

13. Smoothies Are A Source Of Vitamins And Minerals While Ketchup Is Usually Lacking This Important Ingredient

Smoothies are usually filled with vitamins and minerals that your body needs but ketchup is made up of mainly sugar with small traces of vinegar and salt which means its effects on your body aren’t very helpful at all.

14. Smoothies Are Usually Creamier And Thicker Than Ketchup

In case I haven’t yet made this clear, smoothies are smooth while ketchup is… not so much! This is mainly because when you add ice or frozen fruit into your drink it takes on a thicker texture

15. Tomato Is Not A Fruit

One last thing that I can say to help you understand why ketchup isn’t a smoothie is because tomato is not considered a fruit. Tomatoes are actually considered a “berry” which means they’re technically more related to potatoes, eggplants and chili peppers then they are to apples or oranges!

So there’s my opinion on the question, “Is Ketchup A Smoothie?” I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Related Post: How To Puree Tomatoes Without A Blender

Conclusion

Ketchup is not a smoothie because tomatoes don’t blend well with water or ice, aren’t cold enough to make a smoothie, and won’t stay fresh for long enough to be called a smoothie.

If we start calling ketchup by the correct name (tomato juice and spices) then people might finally understand what we’re referring to when we tell them we’re having ketchup for dinner!

AboutKelly A Hartigan

Kelly A Hartigan has been an avid consumer of blenders for years. She is passionate about helping others find the best blender for their needs and has tried different brands on her quest to find the perfect match.

She loves to blend fruit and vegetables into juices, which she drinks throughout the day for good health.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *