Ketchup and catsup are the same deal but when Heinz entered the game in 1876 he decided to switch the spelling to make his brand stand out which apparently worked. The word ketchup goes way back to the Asian word ke-tsiap which was a pickled fish condiment from around the 3rd century B.C. Through time ketchup has evolved in various renditions depending on what ingredients were available. For instance when the British tried to reproduce the fish sauce in the 17th and 18th centuries they used mushrooms (which are plentiful there), walnuts, oysters and anchovies. It wasn't until the early 19th century that the US version introduced tomatoes into the recipe which eventually became the recipe standard. Goes to show even the simplest things take time to grow into themselves.
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