The word mayonnaise (note the double 'n') first appears in a cookbook in 1806. There are quite a few theories circulating about where exactly the sauce originated. Mayonnaise quickly proved to be such a success that several cities and people wanted to claim credit. Some claimed that mayonnaise originated in the French city of Bayonne and that the name was initially bayonnaise, which was later corrupted to mayonnaise. Nonsense . The Duke of Mayenne also showed himself to be greedy and claimed to have invented mayennaise, which was later corrupted to mayonnaise. Nonsense . More likely was the assumption that the word mayonnaise could derive from the Old French word moyeu 'egg yolk', but at the time the sauce became known, no one spoke Old French anymore. Nonsense . The most accepted hypothesis today points to the port city of Mahón on the Spanish island of Menorca.
The original mayonnaise was, according to tradition, a sauce that was first served at a banquet after the Battle of Mahón in 1756, when the British were driven off the island by the French. The siege of the city had left the kitchen cupboards quite empty. Traditional sauces at that time were made from cream and eggs. The chef no longer had any cream at his disposal and was forced to replace it with olive oil. The new recipe was proudly called 'salsa mahonesa' by the chef, hoping that the refined guests would think that was how it should be. It turned out to be a culinary success.
The French guests translated the name into 'sauce mahónnaise'. The name and recipe of the sauce were brought to France, where a gastronomic revolution was already underway under the influence of the French Revolution.
Why the word 'mayonnaise' was later watered down to 'mayonnaise' in our country is a mystery. Until 1947 it was written with the original double 'n', but in that year the Flemish-Dutch Spelling Commission unexpectedly and incomprehensibly decided to make an adjustment.
When we make mayonnaise ourselves in our country, we almost unconsciously reach for a bottle of sunflower oil. We are so used to that and that is how it is stated in most recipes that can be found in cookbooks and on the internet. But the original form of mayonnaise naturally originated in areas where only olive oil was available. We once switched to a somewhat more neutral tasting oil, because in the not so distant past the olive oil in our country was not of really good quality. That is different now.
Ingredients:
2 fresh eggs
200 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon hot mustard
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Juice of half a lemon
Directions:
- Separate the eggs and put only the egg yolks in the food processor
- Add the mustard and white wine vinegar and mix until smooth
- Slowly pour in the olive oil while the food processor is still running
- Check regularly whether the emulsion has reached the desired thickness
- Once the thickness is right, add the salt and pepper and the juice of half a lemon
- Then mix briefly
- Serve immediately and store the mayonnaise in a well-sealed jar in the refrigerator for no longer than three days
