Sign-In
Cart
Ketchup Was a Weapon: How Wars, Spies, and Stolen Recipes Built the American Dinner Table: Real Stories of the Immigrants, Soldiers, and Schemers Who
Paperback
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Oct 24 2025
Pages: 258
Weight: 0.81
Height: 0.54 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
What if everything you thought was American about American food was actually smuggled across borders, invented in wartime desperation, or stolen outright? Ketchup Was a Weapon uncovers the astonishing true stories behind the dishes we call traditional-hamburgers that began as a survival food for Mongol horsemen, ketchup that started as a fermented fish sauce in Southeast Asia, and apple pie recipes carried by medieval English crusaders. These aren't feel-good immigrant tales. They're stories of espionage, cultural theft, wartime rationing schemes, and the entrepreneurs who turned global chaos into profit.
From the German immigrants who faced lynch mobs while selling liberty sandwiches during World War I, to the Heinz company's transformation of a Chinese condiment into an American icon, to the surprising Nazi origins of Fanta, this book reveals how violence, innovation, and desperation-not nostalgia-created what we now consider comfort food. Each chapter follows real people through turning-point moments: a Yale dropout who stole a Mexican salsa recipe and became a millionaire, Chinese restaurant owners who invented a fake cuisine to survive racism, and the women who shaped modern cooking while their contributions were erased from history.
Written for history lovers who crave the unexpected and food enthusiasts hungry for the truth, Ketchup Was a Weapon serves up twenty meticulously researched stories that will forever change how you see your dinner plate. No myths. No legends. Just the shocking, verified history of how America ate its way to the top.
Also from
Langweiler, Adam
The Prophet of Light: The Rise and Disappearance of Manichaeism, the Forgotten World Religion
Langweiler, Adam
Paperback
The Knife That Changed the World: Hidden Histories of Everyday Kitchen Tools That Shaped Civilizations
Langweiler, Adam
Paperback
The Pestilence Gate: A Historical Choose-Your-Own-Path Gamebook Set During the Black Death of 1348
Langweiler, Adam
Paperback
The Master of Suspense Becomes the Master of Truth: Alfred Hitchcock's Secret War Against Disbelief
Langweiler, Adam
Paperback
The King Who Would Drown Greece: Xerxes and the Invasion That Broke an Empire
Langweiler, Adam
Paperback
The Fire That Consumed the World's Memory: The Alexandria Library Disaster of 48 BCE
Langweiler, Adam
Paperback
The Night They Hanged the Swing-Kid Rebel: True, Strange, and Hidden Histories of the Edelweiss Pirates in Nazi Germany
Langweiler, Adam
Paperback
Grenade Warfare in the Great War: Bombers, Rifle Grenadiers, Trench Raids, and the Tactics of Close Combat, 1914-1918
Langweiler, Adam
Paperback
Sisters of the Yak: Marina Raskova's Forgotten Women Fighter Regiment of World War II
Langweiler, Adam
Paperback
The Hell Ships of World War II: Allied Prisoners, Death Voyages, and Survival in the Pacific War
Langweiler, Adam
Paperback
The Girl Who Walked Out of History: True Stories of Vanished Geniuses, Hidden Lives, and the Enigma of Barbara Newhall Follett
Langweiler, Adam
Paperback
The Bloodstone of Barrowmere: An Interactive Medieval Gamebook: A Healer's Survival Choices During the Siege of 1216
Langweiler, Adam
Paperback
Also in
Cookbooks General
Home Food: 100 Recipes to Comfort and Connect: Ukraine - Cyprus - Italy - England - And Beyond
Hercules, Olia
Hardcover
Eating with the Chefs: Family Meals from the World's Most Creative Restaurants
Stevens, Tara
Hardcover
Three: Acid, Texture, Contrast - The Essential Foundations to Redefine Everyday Cooking
Kiazim, Selin
Hardcover
The Chakra Cookbook: Colorful Vegan Recipes to Balance Your Body and Energize Your Spirit
Panotzki, Annika
Hardcover
The No-Shop Instant Pot(r): 240 Options for Amazing Meals with Ingredients You Already Have
Dow, Meg
Paperback
The Dirty Vegan Cookbook, Revised Edition: Your Favorite Recipes Made Vegan
Gill, Catherine
Paperback
Good Housekeeping Instant Pot(r) Cookbook: 60 Delicious Foolproof Recipes Volume 15
Westmoreland, Susan
Good Housekeeping
Hardcover
Brunch at Bobby's: 140 Recipes for the Best Part of the Weekend: A Cookbook
Flay, Bobby
Banyas, Stephanie
Jackson, Sally
Hardcover
The Modern Preserver's Kitchen: Cooking with Jam, Chutney, Pickles and Ferments
Newton, Kylee
Hardcover
Everyday Entertaining: 110+ Recipes for Going All Out When You're Staying in
Van Lierde, Elizabeth
Hardcover
Manju's Cookbook: Vegetarian Gujarati Indian Recipes from a Much-Loved Family Restaurant
Patel, Manju
Hardcover
Food52 Big Little Recipes: Good Food with Minimal Ingredients and Maximal Flavor [A Cookbook]
Laperruque, Emma
Hardcover
The Seafood Shack: Food and Tales from the Scottish Highlands
Scobie, Kirsty
Renwick, Fenella
Hardcover
Munchies Guide to Dinner: How to Feed Yourself and Your Friends [A Cookbook]
Editors of Munchies
Hardcover
The New Middle Eastern Vegetarian: Modern Recipes from Veggiestan - 10-Year Anniversary Edition
Butcher, Sally
Paperback
The Food in Jars Kitchen: 140 Ways to Cook, Bake, Plate, and Share Your Homemade Pantry
McClellan, Marisa
Hardcover
Vegan Roasting Pan: Let Your Oven Do the Hard Work for You, with 70 Simple One-Pan Recipes
Beskow, Katy
Hardcover
Good Gut, Great Health: The Full Guide to Optimizing Your Energy and Vitality
Palmer, Adam
Edgson, Vicki
Paperback
Composing the Cheese Plate: Recipes, Pairings, and Platings for the Inventive Cheese Course
Friend, Leigh
Keyser, Brian
Hardcover
Kitchen Remix: 75 Recipes for Making the Most of Your Ingredients: A Cookbook
Druckman, Charlotte
Hardcover
Happy Snacking, Don't Die!: Foraging and Vegan Recipes with Black Forager (a Cookbook)
Nelson, Alexis Nikole
Hardcover
The Taos Kitchen Cookbook: Authentic Recipes and Traditions from Northern New Mexico
Marquez, Nité
Hardcover
Keep It Simple Y'All: Every Day: Foolproof Recipes to Make Your Life Delicious: A Cookbook
Bounds, Matthew
Hardcover
AC Barbeque: The Husky and Handsome Guide to Grilling: (A Cookbook)
Anderson, Anthony
Cedric the Entertainer
Hardcover
The Pioneer Woman Cooks--The Essential Recipes: 120 Greatest Hits, New Twists, and Perfected Classics
Drummond, Ree
Hardcover
Dig In!: Over 100 Easy, Delicious, and Stress-Free Recipes to Make on Repeat (a Cookbook)
O'Brien, Erin
Hardcover
Of Course It's Good!: Aggressively Delicious Meals Anyone Can Make and Everyone Will Love
Secrest, Jessica
Hardcover
The Blue Willow Inn Bible of Southern Cooking: 450 Essential Recipes Southerners Have Enjoyed for Generations (a Cookbook)
Van Dyke, Billie
Van Dyke, Louis
Paperback
Bake It Off: An Unofficial Taylor Swift-Inspired Cookbook for Every Era, from Breakfast to Midnights
Smith, Lindsey
Hardcover
Obsessed with the Best: 100+ Methodically Perfected Recipes Based on 20+ Head-To-Head Tests
Quittner, Ella
Hardcover
Small-Batch Breads: 50 Recipes for Loaves, Buns, and Flatbreads Made with One Cup of Flour [A Baking Book]
Eisenberg, Rebecca
Hardcover
Coffee Shop at Home: The Ultimate Guide to Making Your Favorite Coffee Drinks
Diaz, Katerina
Hardcover
Keep It Simple, Y'All: Easy Dinners from Your Barefoot Neighbor: A Cookbook
Bounds, Matthew
Hardcover
New School Barbecue: Recipes for Next-Level Smoking and Grilling from Austin's Leroy and Lewis
Leroy, Evan
Forbes, Paula
Hardcover
Cookies: The Best Recipes for the Perfect Anytime Treat [A Baking Cookbook]
Vreeland, Vaughn
New York Times Cooking
Hardcover
Freeze Fresh Meal Prep: 160 Meal Starters and Make-Ahead Dishes for the Freezer
Schmidt, Crystal
Paperback
Good Lookin' Cookin': A Year of Meals - A Lifetime of Family, Friends, and Food [A Cookbook]
Parton George, Rachel
Parton, Dolly
Hardcover
The Scone Queen Bakes: 100 Recipes for Scones, Muffins, Cookies, and Cakes from the Founder of the Hungry Gnome: A Cookbook
Sepsy, Danielle
Hardcover
Veg Everything: Recipes for Weeknights, Parties and the Bites in Between [A Vegetarian Cookbook]
New York Times Cooking
Sichynsky, Tanya
Hardcover
Recipes from the World of Tolkien - Tolkien Reference Book, Literary Cookbook: Inspired by the Legends
Anderson, Robert Tuesley
Hardcover
The Noma Guide to Building Flavour: Including Recipes and Techniques for Sauces, Butters, Broths, Reductions, Preserves, Vinaigrettes, Flavoured Salts
Noma Test Kitchen
Redzepi, René
Hardcover
Pati Jinich Foods of La Frontera: Recipes and New Taste Frontiers from Both Sides of the Border
Jinich, Pati
Hardcover
The King Arthur Baking Company Big Book of Bread: 125+ Recipes for Every Baker (a Cookbook)
King Arthur Baking Company
Hardcover
A Feather and a Fork: 125 Intertribal Dishes from an Indigenous Food Warrior
Wahpepah, Crystal
Hardcover
I Sleep in My Kitchen: Comfort Food Recipes from My Palestinian American Home: A Cookbook
Daud, Mariam
Hardcover
Simple Kitchen Magic: Whole-Food Recipes and Remedies for a Holistic Life: A Cookbook
Moyer, Rebekah
Hardcover
Comfort Food the Cowboy Way: Backyard Favorites, Country Classics, and Stories from a Ranch Cook
Rollins, Shannon
Rollins, Kent
Hardcover
Easy Weeknight Dinners: 100 Fast, Flavor-Packed Meals for Busy People Who Still Want Something Good to Eat [A Cookbook]
New York Times Cooking
Weinstein, Emily
Hardcover
Bread Baking for Beginners: The Essential Guide to Baking Kneaded Breads, No-Knead Breads, and Enriched Breads
Ohara, Bonnie
Paperback
Let's Get Cooking: Everyday Meals, Tipsy Favorites and Comfort Food Cravings (a Cookbook)
Cruz Parsons, Remi
Hardcover
Bad B*tch in the Kitch: Craveable Asian Recipes to Ditch the Takeout: A Cookbook
Yeung, Cassie
Hardcover
Eating at Home: The Nourishing Practice of Everyday Cooking [A Cookbook]
Mouzon Wofford, Trinity
Hardcover
Sam Thayer's Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Of Eastern and Central North America
Thayer, Samuel
Paperback
The Complete Grilling and Barbecue Cookbook: 400+ Recipes Plus Techniques, Tools, and Science
America's Test Kitchen
Hardcover
Now We're Cooking: All-Purpose, Laid-Back Recipes (a Cookbook from @Acooknamedmatt)
Broussard, Matthew
Hardcover
Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence: A Baking Book
Saffitz, Claire
Hardcover
Bake Anything: Essential Recipes and Techniques to Build on for Endless Possibilities
McDowell, Erin Jeanne
Hardcover
In Season: 125+ Sweet and Savory Recipes Celebrating Simple, Fresh Ingredients (a Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook)
Steele, Lisa
Hardcover
The Mon Lapin Cookbook: de Toute Beauté: From Montreal, with Love
Noel, Jessica
Filipovic, Vanya
Frappier, Marc-Olivier
Hardcover
Big Bites: Time to Eat!: Nourishing Family Recipes That Cook in an Hour or Less; A Cookbook
Ashmore, Kat
Hardcover
National Geographic National Parks Cookbook: Dishes Inspired by America's Great Outdoors
Knific, Melissa
Elder, Nina
Hardcover
Japanese Comfort Cooking: An Opinionated Guide to Modern, Homey, Classic Japanese Recipes
Salat, Harris
Ono, Tadashi
Hardcover
Sourdough Everything: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Beautiful Breads and Other Bakes
Pardoe, Rachel
Hardcover
The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook: Seasonal Home Cooking from South Asia's Best Spice Farms
Kadri, Sana Javeri
Loupy, Asha
Hardcover
All Hours: Crazy Good Food for Whatever, Whenever: A Cookbook
Onwuachi, Kwame
Stein, Joshua David
Hardcover
Cake from Lucie: Recipes and Techniques from the French Countryside to New York City: A Baking Book
Franc de Ferriere, Lucie
Hardcover
Instant Noodles and Beyond: A Comic Book with Recipes for Souped-Up Ramen, Mac & Cheese, and More
Ha, Robin
Paperback
The Sheet Pan: 150+ Easy, Creative Meals from Your Most Versatile Pan
America's Test Kitchen
Paperback
The Complete Americaâ (Tm)S Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001â "2026: Every Recipe and Product Rating from the Most-Watched Cooking Show on Public Tv
America's Test Kitchen
Hardcover
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: A James Beard Award Winner: 30th Anniversary Edition: A Cookbook
Hazan, Marcella
Hardcover
Main, Middle & Gay: A Chef Finds His Place in the World Against All Odds
O'Connell, Patrick
Hardcover
The Bean Book: 100 Recipes for Cooking with All Kinds of Beans, from the Rancho Gordo Kitchen [A Cookbook]
Sando, Steve
Hardcover
Measure with Your Heart: Southern Home Cooking to Feed Your Family and Soul: A Cookbook
Taylor, Hannah
Hardcover
The Halloween Movie Cookbook: 65 Hauntingly Delicious Recipes Inspired by Your Favorite Spooky Movies
Merrin, Adam
Alvarez, Ryan
Hardcover
Every Day with Babs: 101 Family-Friendly Dinners for Every Day of the Week: A Cookbook
Costello, Barbara
Hardcover
Today Loves Food: Recipes from America's Favorite Kitchen
Kosofsky, Debbie Cohen
Boscamp, Emi
Stilo, Katie
Hardcover
Vegetables the Italian Way: Turning Simple and Fresh Into Extraordinary
Scarpaleggia, Giulia
Hardcover
The Dog's Table: 120+ Easy Real-Food Recipes for Happier, Healthier Pups--From Eggs Benedog to Seafood Pawella
Jay, Joelle
Young, R. a.
Hardcover
Cooking Thai: Heritage and Modern Recipes from My Kitchen Notebooks
Techamuanvivit, Pim
Nguyen, Andrea
Hardcover
A Year of Jewish Joy: Inspired Recipes, Rituals, and Traditions for Beautiful Celebrations
Lowin, Rebekah
Hardcover
The New American Diner Cookbook: Classic and New Favorites from (and Inspired By) Diners Across the U.S.A. - 75 Recipes
Roberts, Julissa Hernández
Hardcover
The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook: Seasonal Recipes for Everyday Luxury and Elevated Entertaining
Hayden, Meredith
Hardcover
Joy of Cooking: Fully Revised and Updated
Rombauer, Irma S.
Becker, Marion Rombauer
Becker, Ethan
Hardcover
Simply Plants: Feel-Good Vegan Recipes to Nourish the Body and Soul: A Cookbook
Badiei, Sadia
Hardcover