Ketchup mine of Padoue

The ketchup mine is the product of an unusual legend which originates from the community of Padoue in Quebec. In this municipality, it seems there existed a site where miners were extracting a clay soil very rich in iron oxide: red ochre. And when they came home it was said, out of mockery, that their red-stained clothes were stained with ketchup… As futile as it may be, this hoax cleverly reminds us of the fascinating extent in the common place ketchup occupies in the North American mind.