Is putting pepper in ketchup a southern thing?

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MouseInternal1773@reddit

I load up my ketchup with black pepper before dipping my fries or burger in it.

It’s very hard to say where any of my customs are from bc I grew up in Texas and my mother is from Michigan and her mother is from Ontario and her mother is from England, so there’s times I thought something was Midwestern and it turns out it was British, etc.

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Ariel_s_Awesome@reddit

Michigander here: I don't think it's a Michigan thing.

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jtfjtf@reddit

They do it in California tooo

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Ariel_s_Awesome@reddit

What DON'T they do in California though?

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counteraxe@reddit

I don't know a ton of people who do, but I'm from CA and I do it and learned it from another multigeneration CA native. Fwiw.

I add salt too rather the putting extra on the fries themselves (if needed).

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5uper5kunk@reddit

I learned about it from I think an old John Travolta movie? It’s definitely more efficient than trying to get a pepper evenly spread across french fries.

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Oploplou@reddit

My moms a chef and always told me, add your seasoning to the sauce, not the food. So I’ve been lightly salting and peppering my mustard (I hate ketchup) for years.

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Particular_Bet_5466@reddit

I never heard of this but I like the concept.

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safarifriendliness@reddit

I’ve never heard of putting pepper in ketchup but it sounds good. Where I’m at people mix in a little sriracha sauce if they want to give it a kick

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wantonseedstitch@reddit

I'm a New Englander and I've never heard of this. I just put pepper on the fries and dip them in the ketchup. When I was in high school in the 90s, my thing was putting a ludicrous amount of pepper on Applebee's fries and dipping them in honey mustard.

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New-Sheepherder2239@reddit

No

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averagejosh@reddit

North Carolina reporting in. Definitely not a thing here. My only time seeing it was on Twitter. Loved the idea, so I started doing it myself.

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LostTiredWanderer@reddit

Ive been doing that since the 90s pepper ketchup is delicious

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mostlygray@reddit

I do that when I eat onion rings. And it's not a light dusting of pepper. I literally turn it in to paste of pepper and ketchup. I unscrew the top of the pepper and just pour it on. It's really quite an irresponsible amount of pepper.

I learned that from my neighbor when I was a kid. I think I'm the only person that does it though. Other than my friend, I've never seen anyone else do it.

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BeneficialShame8408@reddit

i didn't know about it. sounds good though.

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According-Couple2744@reddit

If my French fries aren’t salty enough, I mix a little salt in my ketchup.

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NPHighview@reddit

Could be a German thing too (Curry ketchup on bratwurst or fries - yummy!)

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Ballmaster9002@reddit

Like black pepper or hot sauce?

I've never heard of black pepper in ketchup, but I know people who put how sauce on everything and will pre-mix ketchup & hotsauce as their go to.

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Genius-Imbecile@reddit

I am one of them people.

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Aquarius_K@reddit

That's disgusting lol. Hot sauce should never be violated by ketchup.

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Weary-Astronaut1335@reddit

Sometimes you have subpar hot sauces like Tobasco that need something else.

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Aquarius_K@reddit

I agree with you on tobasco, but what did Texas Pete ever do to you? Sometimes I get tired of Franks red hot. Regardless I wouldn't even mix tobasco and ketchup. Ketchup is what is subpar. Be a grown up and use hot sauce lol 😆

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Weary-Astronaut1335@reddit

Both Tabasco and Pete's taste like vinegar. I want a hot sauce, not vinegar.

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Aquarius_K@reddit

Have you tried hienz 57? I used to like it, not so much anymore, but it seems like ketchup people like it.

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Weary-Astronaut1335@reddit

That's not a hot sauce at all though. Cholula or Tapatio for me.

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Aquarius_K@reddit

Yeah I don't consider it hot sauce either just though you might like it. I like Cholula too!

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Adept_Carpet@reddit

I do both, though hot sauce is more frequent (if I'm eating ketchup at home it probably has hot sauce mixed in it).

I've probably tried the whole spice cabinet in ketchup at this point. Black pepper and garlic are (unsurprisingly) two of the best.

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cookery_102040@reddit

I was going to say black pepper no, but I know people who would probably put jalapeño or other spicy pepper

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madqueen100@reddit

Never heard of pepper added to ketchup. If I want a spicier ketchup I’d add a squirt of Tabasco or other hot sauce. Or just use a good salsa and forget the overly sweet ketchup .

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Realitykills@reddit

Fry sauce: ketchup, mayo, pickle juice, pepper, salt, paprika.

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hyooston@reddit

Growing up in Texas, a lot of us put a packet of black pepper on top of our little ketchup containers from Whataburger, but I never saw it done anywhere else.

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False-Cookie3379@reddit

Whataburger ketchup was one of my main pregnancy cravings a few years ago. But that’s what we’ve always done, open package and put pepper on top of the ketchup.

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IamGleemonex@reddit

Whataburger was the first thing I thought of reading this as well, specifically their Spicy Ketchup.

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Frequent_Ebb6360@reddit

We buy the containers of that stuff lmaoo

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SmeeezTreeez@reddit

Does the store bought version they have taste like it?

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hyooston@reddit

Not really actually. The spicy ketchup tastes like ketchup with weak hot sauce to me.

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Frequent_Ebb6360@reddit

I'd say so but there's a lot of mixed opinions on it...imo it's pretty similar and quite like it.

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SmeeezTreeez@reddit

If it goes on sale I'll give it a try

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illegal_miles@reddit

It’s also something people do at In N Out. Bonus points for squeezing in some pickled pepper juice.

I think its just something people do when there’s cups of ketchup and pepper packets available lol

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texasrigger@reddit

I have a bottle of black pepper ketchup right now that came from the local grocery store.

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Southern-Usual4211@reddit

We do it in the southwest as well

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jrice138@reddit

I do ketchup, mayo and pepper

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dragon4panda@reddit

As an ohioan, I've seen it done before, but it isn't especially common

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EvaisAchu@reddit

I didn't know this was a thing. Now I am curious.

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Premium333@reddit

Its great! I rarely do it, but I learned it from a Midwesterner in college.

Also, we share the same location history. Texas and Colorado.

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MurkyMitzy@reddit

My husband does this, he's from Michigan. Maybe it's a midwestern thing?

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CorduroyGmork@reddit

I do this (from Ohio), but as far as I knew, it was just a me thing.

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Perdendosi@reddit

For true Midwesterners, black pepper is too spicy. :)

But from someone who's lived in Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri, and had lots of friends from Illinois, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Nebraska, I've never met anyone to pepper their ketchup.

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Premium333@reddit

I'm thinking it was. The girl who taught me was absolutely shocked that anyone at the table thought it was in any way abnormal, which leads me to believe it was common where she was from (Nebraska).

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sponge_welder@reddit

Back in school I would mix up a diy fry/Guthrie's sauce with ketchup and mayo, with some Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, or pepper added in

At the Oyster House in Mobile, they give you condiment cups to mix up your own cocktail sauce, they've usually got ketchup, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, etc on the table

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Negative-Arachnid-65@reddit

I mix black pepper and hot sauce in my ketchup. Learned it from some Southern Californians.

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jackof47trades@reddit

I do it in Utah all the time. I know only one other person who does it.

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Frequent_Ebb6360@reddit

I'm originally from Minnesota and only when I moved to Florida did I see people bring ketchup and pepper packets to their tables at fast food restaurants, I tried it once and I've eaten ever since lmao

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MayorQuimby1616@reddit

I’ve done the pepper in ketchup for decades. Putting it on the fries, it just falls off. Putting it in the ketchup, well now you have peppery ketchup and it’s delicious.

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cdb03b@reddit

I am sure people do it, but it is not a standard thing so far as I know anywhere.

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captainstormy@reddit

I always put some pepper in my ketchup for fries. It's not common here in the Midwest though.

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no_usernames_avail@reddit

I did this growing up in Chicagoland

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Astro_Birch_317@reddit

My 8 year old insists on doing this. As far as I know, they just came up with it on their own. I don't know anyone else who does it.

(Born and raised in Alaska.)

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Jaymac720@reddit

Um, no?

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Adorable_Dust3799@reddit

Eww. No, never heard of it. And my dad absolutely loved both pepper and ketchup and put them on everything

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LockNessCrotchMonst@reddit

I put pepper in my catsup. But I just like pepper.

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Crazycatlover@reddit

No, we just get actual hot sauce in the southwest. :)

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Delicious_Oil9902@reddit

It’s a NY breakfast thing saltpepperketchup is one word

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Zziggith@reddit

No to my understanding

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getElephantById@reddit

I mean, I do it. I think it's an "I like pepper" thing, not necessarily a Southern thing.

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whatevendoidoyall@reddit

Didn't realize this wasn't a thing every where lol

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anclwar@reddit

I'm from the northeast and salt pepper ketchup is not a new concept to me at all. I'm definitely more of a pepper ketchup person myself, but I didn't think this was as uncommon as the comments make it seem.

I also mix hot sauce into my ketchup sometimes.

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TheBimpo@reddit

Lived on the south a long time, I’ve never heard of this.

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jrhawk42@reddit

Didn't know it was a thing at all. I've heard of pepper in mayo though.

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1nfam0us@reddit

These both sound really good tbh, and I haven't heard of either.

I tried the peanuts in coke thing and it was wildly overrated.

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Head_Razzmatazz7174@reddit

Has to be in an ice cold glass bottle. Otherwise it just doesn't 'set' right. I've tried it in the plastic bottles and it's not nearly as good.

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theycallmethevault@reddit

I always add black pepper to my ketchup! I didn’t think it was regional thing though.

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PeorgieT75@reddit

I do that with Tabasco.

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Euphoric_Ease4554@reddit

We did it in Kansas

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Jaqen-Atavuli@reddit

Never heard of it, Salt and pepper on tomatoes you get a wink.

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Sorry_Hedgehog_2599@reddit

I put pepper on anything, but don't really like ketchup. If I liked ketchup, I would probably put pepper on it.

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P00PooKitty@reddit

Salt, pepper, ketchup, and hot sauce is def a Philly sandwich truck thing. Hahaha

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MissingGrayMatter@reddit

Never seen anyone do this.

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Otherwisefantastic@reddit

My Mom used to put a bunch of black pepper in her ketchup. I used to do it too. It's pretty good.

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00death@reddit

As somebody from the PNW I’ve never heard of it

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QuigonSeamus@reddit

It was a thing in my household raised by someone from the south and someone from the Midwest. I also pepper my ranch.

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SeaLeopard5555@reddit

I have never heard of this as a widespread thing.

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sonotorian@reddit

I've seen it locally here in Arkansas. Also, mixing Worcestershire sauce into ketchup for fries, steak, meatloaf, etc. (Yes, some people eat ketchup on their steak, it is what it is.)

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Lost-Time-3909@reddit

I am from the South and it’s not uncommon to see this. Mainly old men, but not exclusively. Cannot confirm if it’s limited to here.

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rawbface@reddit

Like, in the ketchup? Because if I want pepper on something I'll just skip the middle man.

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Personal-Presence-10@reddit

But if you’re eating French fries the pepper falls off. So you gotta put the pepper in the ketchup.

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rawbface@reddit

No it doesn't though? French fries have salt on them too, it's not an issue.

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Personal-Presence-10@reddit

Salt binds better to moisture. Pepper doesn’t adhere as well as salt does. I like a lot of pepper on my fries. Pepper mixed in my ketchup works better for me than putting it on the fries themselves. Unless you’re getting the fries straight from the fryer (which is when the seasoning is added to seasoned fries to ensure it adheres) pepper doesn’t stick as well to the fry.

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OK_Stop_Already@reddit

if the goal is to ensure pepper stays on the fries, I feel like the flavor of ketchup will overpower any amount of pepper involved.

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Personal-Presence-10@reddit

I think you’re underestimating the amount of pepper I use lol

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OK_Stop_Already@reddit

i think you're ruining your fries with ketchup if you're going that hard with pepper.

But I'm also a certified, licensed ketchup hater.

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shelwood46@reddit

Same, I love my fries dry, with salt and pepper and occasionally Old Bay

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OK_Stop_Already@reddit

ooh that sounds good.

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Duck_Diddler@reddit

Deep Southerner here. Never heard of it.

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G00dSh0tJans0n@reddit

yeah I put pepper in my ketchup because if I put it on my fries then it just falls off

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Wastedgent@reddit

Well damn, never heard of this in my life and now I want to try it.

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G00dSh0tJans0n@reddit

Bro I got one more for you, pro bono: Don't put ketchup on the burger, that can make it soggy. Dip the burger in the ketchup.

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Zealousideal_Cod5214@reddit

This is what I like to do with the cheese sauce at Culver's lol

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Personal-Presence-10@reddit

Exactly the same reason I do it. I only pepper my ketchup when it’s for fries.

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DoublePostedBroski@reddit

Never heard of this

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SabresBills69@reddit

Not together but I've know people to put black pepper on potato products then eat using ketchup

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ibejeph@reddit

I do it sometimes. Nice little change

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judgingA-holes@reddit

I'm from the south and I didn't know it was a thing. lol

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Waisted-Desert@reddit

I put fresh ground black pepper in my honey mustard.

But I do put pepper, and salt if needed, in ketchup that I'm dipping my fries into. As someone else mentioned, the pepper would otherwise fall off the fries.

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OK_Stop_Already@reddit

..Pepper? Like black pepper? No. In mayo, sure.

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Scrappy_The_Crow@reddit

Southerner here. I've never seen that done in the south, or anywhere else.

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KuChiPractitioner@reddit

Never heard about this before, but sounds fire.

Have put hot sauce over ketchup before though, often. I may start mixing pepper into my ketchup bottles from now on lmao. Genius.

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Annhl8rX@reddit

I have no idea, but I’m in the south and *do* put both salt and pepper in my ketchup. In fact, I won’t even eat ketchup if I don’t have salt and pepper to put in it.

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zoppaTheDim@reddit

I be would say it isn’t.

I’ve done it, I’ve met other people who do it. None were southerners. It is just a sad excuse for a better condiment.

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patty202@reddit

I put black pepper in my ketchup.

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Vivid-Explanation951@reddit

Im from the Mid-Atlantic US originally, and one of my best friends used to put salt and pepper in their ketchup. His entire family did it. I've seen others do it randomly, but I didn't think it was a thing outside of his family.

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MountainTomato9292@reddit

I’m in Tennessee (also AR and MS) and I’ve never seen this.

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Personal-Presence-10@reddit

Born and raised AR and both my dad and I have always done this. He was also born and raised in Arkansas.

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MountainTomato9292@reddit

It sounds good, I will try it next time!

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ALoungerAtTheClubs@reddit

Not if you mean mixing black pepper into your bottle of ketchup. But I don't see why someone wouldn't add ketchup and pepper to the same food (.e.g fries).

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quirky_kitkit@reddit

From Tennessee, never heard of this.

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katarh@reddit

I do it when I'm converting ketchup into home made BBQ sauce. Black pepper, brown sugar, and whatever spices I feel like adding that day.

Just ketchup and pepper though? Bit weird, but I can understand it.

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Arcaeca2@reddit

Never heard of it but I put tons of pepper in my tomato soup, so I can sort of see the vision

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Careless_Ocelot_4485@reddit

I don’t know but I always put hot sauce and black pepper in my ketchup.

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cultural-orca@reddit

Never heard of this (Georgia)

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ucbiker@reddit

If it is, then Northern Virginia gets to be the South again because my cousins and I all did that growing up.

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eurydice_aboveground@reddit

I live in Richmond and never heard of this!

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ucbiker@reddit

I feel like people aren’t getting that it’s probably not really a regional thing.

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Melora_T_Rex714@reddit

I was always told since Maryland was South of the Mason Dixon line, we were southern. 🤷‍♀️ So NoVa counts, right?

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sundial11sxm@reddit

No

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Full-of-Bread@reddit

My mom puts pepper and lemon in ketchup when we are at restaurants

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rage1026@reddit

ive seen the black pepper variety of ketchup in stores. I wouldn't say its a very common thing but its something I can get easily if I wanted.

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BracedRhombus@reddit

Do you mean black pepper? And do you mean mixing a spoonful of pepper into ketchup before serving it out? Or just dumping pepper on top of ketchup?

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Personal-Presence-10@reddit

I believe they’re talking about black pepper. I do this for my French fries. I put the pepper in the ketchup and mix it around because the pepper won’t stick to the fries.

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DiscontentDonut@reddit

I don't think it's any Southern or even regional thing, tbh. Not that my own experience speaks to everyone else's, just that I've never even so much as heard a hint about it, even being from the South.

However, I do know that some smaller places often have their own condiments or combination of condiments, and this could be local to you.

Where I live, Hampton Roads, aka the Virginia Beach area, there was a Mexican restaurant called El Toro that had its own "white salsa." It became extremely popular very quickly and spread throughout the 7 cities like wildfire. Can't go to a Mexican restaurant around here without it being brought to your table with the free chips and regular salsa. It has since started making its way through on up to NoVa, and even some small places in MD.

But the point is that it started out super super small. And pepper in ketchup might be that kinda small.

I will also say, when I went to high school, people would put a ridiculous amount of both ranch and hot sauce on their pizza, at the same time. The pizza was basically a nacho meant to hold the sauces.

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auniqueusername214@reddit

You’re talking about putting pepper on the ketchup after already squirted the ketchup onto a plate, right? I know people here in AR do that and I do it sometimes.

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_nousernamesleft_@reddit

Sometimes if I'm eating french fries (especially ones from a diner) I'll put black pepper on them and then also ketchup. So not quite the same but kind of?

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river-running@reddit

Never heard of it.

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Pitiful_Fox5681@reddit

Ooh, I've never heard of this but it's a pretty good idea. Adding this to the arsenal.

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Both_Painter_9186@reddit

I put black pepper and ketchup on scrambled eggs sometimes. Not southern.

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crunchyfoliage@reddit

I'm not opposed to it, but I've never heard of anyone doing that. I'm from the northern Midwest

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Personal-Presence-10@reddit

Yeah I’ve always added black pepper to my ketchup but only if I’m dipping my fries in it. If you put pepper on the fries themselves it just falls off.

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donuttrackme@reddit

I know people that have done it before, but I don't think it was southern.

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Br0_Hammer@reddit

I don't think this is a southern thing... Never heard of it.

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thomsenite256@reddit

I do like some sriracha in my ketchup. But never heard of pepper.

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lawyerjsd@reddit

I knew a guy who did that, but he was from D.C., not the South.

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RickyRagnarok@reddit

I live in Florida and while I have seen people do it, it’s not super common.

I also one a guy once that would order fries with no salt and add “just the right amount” of salt to his ketchup.

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Glenn_Maffews@reddit

A few drops of hot sauce in ketchup does the trick for this Carolinan

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MsMcSlothyFace@reddit

My parents were both souther, I lived in the south about 6 yrs, Ive never heard of that

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j_grouchy@reddit

WTF?

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aftercloudia@reddit

lol right, i know we're not doing it here xD

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WrennyWrenegade@reddit

My mom who lives in Texas sends me a bottle of HEB black pepper ketchup in my Christmas box every year.

Most things I eat with ketchup also have pepper. But I have never peppered my ketchup before applying it to other foods. Seems like a waste of an efficient squeeze bottle.

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Outside_Complaint755@reddit

Wisconsin here - I will sometimes put pepper on the ketchup for my fries because it will stick to the ketchup, but not the fries.

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Comfortable-Race-547@reddit

I put salt and pepper in my ketchup when i have fries, otherwise it just falls off

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SnooPineapples280@reddit

I’ve never heard of doing that.

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CantHardlyWait414@reddit

Would SPK (salt pepper ketchup) in New Jersey count?

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calicoskiies@reddit

I’ve never heard of that.

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gdubh@reddit

I just like a lot of pepper and it falls off of the fries so…

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oarmash@reddit

It sounds good and I like spicy ketchup in general, but I haven’t heard of this specific combination.

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pawsplay36@reddit

No.

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EggieRowe@reddit

My BF does that while I cover my fries in pepper - which are the only things I use ketchup on. I will also put Tabasco in my ketchup. We were both raised mostly in the South.

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OpposumMyPossum@reddit

To do what with it?

Why not put pepper on the item you are eating?

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