Although we may rightly perceive the burger, with all its parts, as thoroughly American, it may come as a surprise to discover that at least one of its major components has distinctly exotic origins.

It is ironic indeed that this more exotic component is the one most commonly associated with America and American food – our beloved all purpose condiment, ketchup.

The slender bottle with its jaunty white cap, flaunting its rich crimson contents, is known and recognized all over the world, valued for what it represents, the proud scarlet standard of the American experience.

The use of ketchup on burgers was inevitable; by the time the hamburger made its first major appearance, at around the turn of the century, ketchup had already become entrenched as the primary and most popular of condiments.

For most of the world ketchup is defined by its American-ness which is in large part a characterization that is positive and attractive. For America at its best is a place that has something for everyone, and ketchup is a sauce that has something for everyone as well.

Ketchup has a complex heritage – the piquant spicy-sweet sauces and relishes of Asia, the tangy vinegars of Western Europe, an exotic, brilliantly colored New World fruit. But for all its complicated background, ketchup boils down to a sauce that is fairly simple and primal in its appeal.

Ketchups thick, smooth texture and rich red color are unprecedented in a world that has long and avidly pursued meaty, full-bodied, highly colored sauces as a vehicle for the enhancement of food. Its sweetness, though not necessarily attractive to everyone, is nonetheless a universally appealing taste, especially to the young, whose preferences historically have never been given much weight but whose culture is paramount in much of the contemporary world.

Ketchups spiciness and acidity are toned down to avoid dominating or overwhelming unaccustomed palates, particularly, again, for the young.

And this is in the end why we love ketchup so much and why the world has come to love it on our burgers. It represents what we value most in ourselves and what we have cultivated as the best in American character. Ketchup is a friendly, open, no-frills kind of sauce, innovative in a simple, home grown fashion, savvy without being sophisticated.

Ketchup is unabashedly democratic in its capacity to offer a little something to everyone.
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How American Cheese Is Made

American Cheese is made by grinding up different kids of cheese, usually Swiss and cheddar types, then pasteurizing the resulting mixture to prevent any further microbial action. Various additives such as gums, emulsifiers and stabilizers are added, as well as milk solids or cream that enrich the cheese.

The result is a substance that is bland and smooth, with a uniform flavor and texture, good melting qualities, and a long shelf life. American Cheese is sold in rectangular one or two pound blocks, or packaged in square slices between sealed sheets of plastic wrap.

The Origins Of American Cheese

American Cheese was originally created in the early twentieth century by James L. Kraft, a Chicago cheese merchant, as a scientific approach to the mass marketing of cheese; and as the company he founded has become the world’s largest cheese manufacturer, his idea must be acknowledged as a commercial success.

Why American Cheese Is So Popular

The key to the success of American Cheese is that it eliminates the characteristics that makes cheese less appealing and saleable, while retaining the sensory attributes that make it more widely attractive.

Natural cheese has a rich flavor and strong smell that offends non-cheese eaters, it also has a very short shelf life and is very expensive to produce. American cheese is smooth and mild flavored, has almost no smell and can be produced for shockingly little money.

The appealing characteristics that American cheese capitalizes on are its golden color, its creamy and smooth texture, and more importantly for a cheeseburger, its heavenly melting character.

No matter how much of a bad image it has gained in recent years, the addiction of a slice of American cheese to the humble hamburger provides the extra sensory gratification that makes the cheeseburger so satisfying.

The cheese represents something more, something better, and something richer. It is an added bonus, an extravagant additional layer that is there to provide more pleasure and not because it is needed. The slice of American cheese is an affirmation of the total indulgence that the cheeseburger as a whole represents.
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