Jul 26, 2013
This is a word you can actually trot out at a party: thixotropic. It comes from Ancient Greek: θιχις (thixis )from θιγγανειν (thinganein) meaning to touch and tropos meaning to change. Matter exhibiting thixotropy changes when you touch it. Ketchup, a hydrocolloid composed of water and tomato particles (and a few other secret ingredients) is mostly a liquid. Leave it in the jar and it will settle to the bottom, like a liquid. Wack the jar and the ketchup acquires structure, clings to the bottle and acts more like a solid.
Some mustards are even more thixotropic than ketchup!
Reblogging my very first word featured on this site-after getting seriously teased by friends at work over lunch. No ketchup was harmed in the making of this post.
