Ketchup—that cheerful red sauce sold in handy glass bottles—first came on the American market in the 19th century. But its ingredients were shockingly different than they are today.

The kickin’ hot sauce is stocked inside just about every NC refrigerator but is oddly unknown outside the Southeast.

Kikkoman soy sauce, with its elegant, red-capped bottle and double spouted lid, is a mainstay in the Japanese dining scene and a popular table condiment in many restaurants. Attractive as the ...