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As far as Ask Yahoo! can tell, "fancy" ketchup is just an example of assertive product marketing. We couldn't determine any specific ingredients that transform plain old ordinary ketchup into spectacularly fancy ketchup. Many of the ketchup packets found in fast food restaurants are labeled "fancy ketchup." These handy packets are manufactured by a company called Portion Pack Inc., which describes its flagship product as "a tangy, sweet and spicy ketchup with a rich tomato flavor and a note of onion and garlic." Perhaps it's the onion and garlic that vaults it into the fancy category. The venerable Ketchup FAQ doesn't
find anything fancy about fancy ketchup: "I think fancy ketchup is similar to catsup, again just another name." In other words, a rose by any other name smells as sweet. Eric Spitznagel, author of the "Junk Food Companion," reminisces that he had several lengthy childhood debates over this same issue. In the end, however, the only discernible difference he could note between fancy ketchup and regular ketchup was that the fancy stuff is only available in fancy restaurants -- like McDonald's.
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