The UK is a nation of ketchup lovers – but we’re divided over what to do with the stuff.
While eight in 10 are adamant a dollop of tomato sauce on the side of the plate to dip food in to is best, two in 10 prefer to smother their meal.
More than half felt squirting ketchup all over a dish was bad manners and an insult to the chef.
The survey of 1,500 adults by frozen food giant Birds Eye found chips were the most popular food to go with a condiment, with dippers second and nachos third.
But dipping food into someone else’s sauce was seen as a faux pax by half while ketchup or mayo with a roast was a no-no for almost 50 per cent.
And four in 10 fussy eaters frowned on mixing two sauces together on a plate.
Ketchup was crowned king of the condiments, followed by mayonnaise barbecue and chilli sauce.
Annalisa Fanali, marketing manager for Chicken Dippers at Birds Eye, said: “Our research shows just how important a dip or a sauce is, with many saying that a meal is simply not complete without a condiment.
“We weren’t surprised to see that ketchup still reigns supreme when it comes to our favourite thing to dip or dunk our food into.”
Birds Eye, who commissioned the survey are on the hunt for a new CDO, a Chief Dipping Officer.
The position requires an individual with outstanding taste buds and has a solid background in sauce ratios.
The chosen candidate will receive a year’s supply of Birds Eye Chicken Dippers, £1,000 in cash and will be required to oversee the Birds Eye social media channels.
A spokesperson for Birds Eye said, “We’re really excited to be on the hunt for our new Chief Dipping Officer and we’re looking forward to seeing what hopefuls think they can bring to the job, as well as providing some expert dipping tips to share with the nation.”
Top 10:
1 Ketchup
2 Mayonnaise
3 BBQ sauce
4 Chilli sauce
5 Salsa
6 Brown sauce
7 Salad cream
8 Guacamole
9 Soy sauce
10 Mustard