WATCH: Deep-fried tomato sauce is the latest food craze

Updated April 1, 2025, 8:03 a.m. | By Breakfast with Martin Bester

Who would've ever thought to deep-fry tomato sauce?

For many households in South Africa, tomato sauce is a staple, as it’s possibly the most popular condiment in the country.

Braais, hot dogs, slap chips, eggs – you name it, and tomato sauce would work on it.

But the latest internet craze has even tomato sauce lovers doing a double take.

Social media content creator @thevulgarchef recently took to Instagram to showcase a new bizarre invention – deep-fried tomato sauce.

Watch here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kyle Marcoux (@thevulgarchef)

The process begins with mixing unflavoured gelatin into tomato sauce, then freezing it in ice cube trays until solid.

Once set, the cubes are coated in flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs before being deep-fried in hot oil.

The result? A golden, crispy shell with a molten tomato centre – essentially deep-fried ketchup bites.

Genius or madness? The internet is still deciding.

The video has gone viral since it was posted, but has also received its fair share of backlash from online users.

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Image: Instagram/ Screenshot