Heinz 57

H. J. Heinz Company publication 1909

Heinz 57 is a shortened, popular form of the "57 Varieties" slogan of 70 which is now out. Pittsburgh's H. J. Heinz Company. In its early days, the company wanted to advertise the great number of choices of canned and bottled foods it offered for sale. Although the company had more than 60 products in 1892, the number 57 was chosen because the numbers "5" and "7" held special significance to Henry J. Heinz. The number "5" was Henry Heinz's lucky number; the number "7" was his wife's lucky number. Prepared horseradish was their first product.^{[citation needed]} The slogan is printed on Heinz pickle pins that are distributed by the millions.

"Heinz 57" is also the name of one variety of Heinz steak sauce, which is distinct from other steak sauces in its color and flavor. Heinz 57 Sauce is a reddish sauce with a taste more akin to spicy ketchup than to other steak sauces. Heinz often markets the sauce as "ketchup with a kick" to highlight this distinction.

1934 Cookbook Definition

Heinz Oven-Baked Beans with Pork and Tomato Sauce Heinz Oven-Baked Beans without Tomato Sauce, with Pork--Boston Style Heinz Oven-Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce without Meat--Vegetarian Heinz Oven-Baked Red Kidney Beans Heinz Cream of Asparagus Heinz Cream of Celery Soup Heinz Cream of Green Pea Soup Heinz Cream of Mushroom Heinz Cream of Oyster Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup Heinz Bean Soup Heinz Beef Broth Heinz Clam Chowder Heinz Gumbo Creole Heinz Mock Turtle Soup Heinz Scotch Broth Heinz Noodle Soup Heinz Pepper Pot Soup Heinz Vegetable Soup Heinz Consomme Heinz Onion Soup Heinz Mince Meat Heinz Puddings--Date, Fig, and Plum Heinz Peanut Butter Heinz Cooked Spaghetti Heinz Cooked Macaroni Heinz Pure Jellies Heinz Apple Butter

Heinz Gherkins--Sweet or Sour Heinz Mixed Pickles--Sweet or Sour Heinz Chow Chow Pickle Heinz Sweet Mustard Pickle Heinz Dill Pickles Heinz Fresh Cucumber Pickle Heinz Strained Foods Heinz India Relish Heinz Sandwich Spread Heinz Pickled Onions--Sweet and Sour Heinz Spanish Queen Olives Heinz Stuffed Spanish Olives Heinz Ripe Olives Heinz Pure Spanish Olive Oil Heinz Tomato Ketchup Heinz Chili Sauce Heinz Beefsteak Sauce* Heinz Pepper Sauce--Red or Green Heinz Worcestershire Sauce Heinz Prepared Mustard--Brown or Yellow Heinz Evaporated Horseradish Heinz Mayonnaise Heinz Pure Malt Vinegar Heinz Pure Cider Vinegar Heinz Distilled White Vinegar Heinz Tarragon Vinegar Heinz Rice Flakes Heinz Breakfast Wheat Heinz Tomato Juice

*Beefsteak Sauce was later renamed to Heinz 57 Sauce in 1940.

Bottle Design

See also: Heinz Tomato Ketchup#Glass bottle design

The relatively high viscosity and pseudoplastic nature of ketchup can make pouring it from a glass bottle somewhat difficult and unpredictable, and several urban legends surrounding this phenomenon have arisen. According to one popular folk remedy, repeatedly hitting the "57" mark on a glass Heinz ketchup bottle makes the ketchup pour out more quickly and easily. The New York Times claims this is a matter of intentional design, with Heinz having placed the "57" mark on that particular spot of the bottle as a target for consumers to hit.

Other uses

The name Heinz 57 is also sometimes used to describe a dog which is a mix of multiple breeds, and also referred to if a person has 5 or more nationalities in their background (i.e. Irish, German, Jewish, Greek, Polish).

In a game of bingo, it is common to hear "Heinz variety" being called out to represent the number 57, in the same way that "two little ducks" represent 22 and "two fat ladies" for 88.^{[citation needed]} Heinz 57 is also a nickname for British Rail Class 57 locomotives.

When Pittsburgh-based Heinz purchased the naming rights of Heinz Field in 2001, they signed a deal to pay the Pittsburgh Steelers $57 million for the rights. Although the Steelers could have easily attracted more money for naming rights, it was intentionally decided on for $57 million. For the following year, when local ads for the then-new Heinz Field were airing on TV, the commercial showed several Steelers players running out of the team's locker room, all wearing jersey number 57 (in reality, linebacker John Fiala was wearing the number at the time the commercial aired), and the number 57 was painted at the 50 yard line instead of the typical number 50.

Columbus Blue Jackets player Steve Heinze wore the jersey number #57 after joining the team.

External links

• The story of "57 Varieties"
• "Heinz Fun Facts"