Mayonnaise Madness
Think back for a moment about the brand of mayonnaise you enjoyed as a child growing up. More than likely, it was Hellmann’s. Why? Because it is America’s leading selling condiment and has been for years.
Not me. My mother opted to serve her two daughters Miracle Whip which is not even a mayonnaise but rather a whipped dressing. However, being from the south, Miracle Whip was one of her favorite ingredients. She loved its seductive sweetness and velvety texture. Mom used it to make her pimento cheese, tuna fish, and of course, BLT sandwiches. She also added it with a heavy hand to bind her potato salad, deviled eggs, and coleslaw.
It wasn’t until we moved to Belgium in the late 1950s that I discovered the taste of real mayonnaise. Our American family learned quickly that the Belgians take their mayonnaise seriously. Even to this day, chefs and home cooks alike traditionally make it from scratch.
According to them the result is infinitely better than anything industrially made. Belgians think nothing of whisking up a bowl of creamy, rich mayonnaise to make their Tomates aux Crevettes (tomatoes stuffed with tiny local shrimp)or Oeufs à la Russe (hard-boiled eggs topped with mayo-laced diced vegetables), or a whole host of other delectable dishes where mayonnaise is a key ingredient.
My favorite recollection of Belgian mayonnaise was my first encounter as a nine-year-old at an outdoor Friture stand in Brussels. My mission was to nervously try out my wobbly French and buy some frites. The ruddy faced proprietor took my money and went about preparing my order. He grabbed a handful of finger-thick potato bâtons—which had already been deep fried once—threw them into piping hot animal fat where they sizzled for a few minutes longer. Next, he carefully formed a cone using a sheet of newspaper. Then, at the perfect moment, he fished out my fries using a metal spider strainer. To my delight the owner filled the paper cone to the top.
But monsieur was not finished. His beefy hand picked up a large aluminum saltshaker and blasted my fries with three rhythmic shakes. He turned facing me and with a broad smile, took a large wooden spoon and plunged it into an enormous container of pale-yellow mayonnaise. Splat! In an instant, a generous dollop of heaven was added to my Belgian fries! And I never looked back. My love affair with real mayonnaise was launched.
In fact, I’ve not knowingly consumed any Miracle Whip since that epiphany at the frites stand. I want to emphasize the word “real” as Miracle Whip is not a true mayonnaise as we have already established. In fact, it was created by Kraft as a cheaper alternative to mayonnaise. Miracle Whip was introduced at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. Thanks to a hefty advertising campaign on radio, within no time it was outselling all brands of mayonnaise combined. Luckily, this is no longer the case.
As you know, food labels list ingredients in order of predominance with the ingredients used in the greatest amount in first position. Reading Miracle Whip’s ingredient label you see this sequence: water, soybean oil, high-fructose corn syrup, vinegar, modified corn starch, eggs, salt, natural flavor, mustard flour, potassium sorbate, spice, and dried garlic. In comparison, the mayonnaise made by those diligent Belgian mothers was simply comprised of oil, egg, lemon juice, salt and maybe or maybe not, a touch of mustard. Certainly, no water!
After eight years of eating the good “stuff” while living in Belgium and later in France, I returned to America and turned to Hellmann’s Mayonnaise. In fact, I’ve used Hellmann’s Light for years finding it a reasonably acceptable alternative to the homemade version we enjoyed abroad and certainly better for my perpetual diet.
So, where did Helmann’s come from? It all began with a German immigrant named Richard Hellmann who in 1905 was selling jars of his wife’s recipe for mayonnaise at his New York deli. Frau Hellmann made her mayo with raw egg yolks, vegetable oil, vinegar, and small amounts of salt, sugar, and seasoning. In 1914 Hellmann updated his packaging with re-useable glass screw-top canning. Within three years, he closed his delicatessen and wholly devoted himself to promoting his mayonnaise. The rest is Hellmann’s personal success story as an entrepreneur. Today, the brand is owned by Unilever.
Hellmann’s was my go-to choice until several years ago when my Japanese hairdresser, Mikio, introduced me to Kewpie. “Your husband,” he told me in his heavily accented English, “is going to love it. Trust me. You try Kewpie and you’ll never go back.” Mikio was right. Ed loved it and it became a kitchen staple.
Ironically, Kewpie has also recently become the new darling of many chefs in America. While you might expect Japanese chefs living here to sing its praises, it surprised me to learn that Jason Halverson of San Francisco's Stones Throw restaurant is one of the brand’s most vocal fans. He refers to Kewpie as “mayo on crack.”
What makes Kewpie different from the other brands? For one thing, it is made with only egg yolks—not the entire egg. The magic ingredient, however, is a hefty pinch of MSG which lends a taste of umami to it. But don’t be put off about the MSG. Recent studies have shown that MSG doesn’t cause the headaches, nausea or even numbness for which it is so often blamed.
Kewpie’s backstory is fascinating. It was invented in Japan by Toichiro Nakashima in 1925. Nakashima had previously lived in America where he encountered for the first time both mayonnaise and the iconic Kewpie doll. Upon his return he decided to launch Japan’s first brand of mayonnaise. For its logo Nakashima selected the cherub-faced toy with its chubby stomach, big rolling eyes and Mohawk hairdo.
Nakashima’s company was sued in 1998 for trademark infringement by another Japanese businessman who had acquired the rights for the Kewpie doll in Japan. The court, however, sided with Nakashima who claimed the Kewpie character was in the public domain. Today Kewpie Corporation has sales in excess of 5 billion dollars.
Always hunting for the best, I was eager to learn about Duke’s. I bet you Southerners out there were wondering when I’d get to your favorite brand. About a month ago I heard about the legion of enthusiasts who proclaim Duke’s—with its rich, creamy texture and spicy signature “twang”—is the world’s best tasting mayonnaise. This piqued my mayo curiosity.
Now produced by Sauer Brands out of Richmond, Virginia, Duke’s is made using egg yolks and soybean oil. While many of ingredients are the same as those used for Kewpie, there is no MSG. Another difference is a dash of paprika giving it a layer if depth plus an apple cider vinegary kick. Duke’s devotees say this “little something southern” distinguishes it from more neutral tasting commercially produced spreads.
Not that long ago it was hard to find Duke’s outside of the South. Serious mayo aficionados on the East coast would beg their friends and family living south of the Mason-Dixon Line to ship them a supply of Duke’s. You might say that the brand’s secret combo of its rarity, regional loyalty, and campy fan art was part of its appeal. Luckily now it’s just a click away, thanks to Amazon and its next day delivery service.
Like Hellmann’s which began its life as homemade mayonnaise, Duke’s was the brainchild of Eugenia Duke. She started out in 1917 by selling sandwiches to soldiers at Fort Sevier in Greenville, South Carolina. She used the mayonnaise she made in her kitchen selling each sandwich for a dime and keeping a two cents profit for herself. Eugenia’s sandwich business grew into a successful tearoom. One day an employees suggested she bottle her mayonnaise and sell it commercially. Now Duke’s is a huge enterprise with a line of light mayonnaise, mayonnaise made with olive oil, and an entire line of southern BBQ sauces.
While these various brands all continue to expand their product lines, let’s look in the rearview mirror for some historical perspective. Who really deserves the credit for inventing this popular condiment? Food historians tell us that Ancient Egyptians and Romans ate a mayonnaise-like sauce made of egg and olive oil. But mayonnaise as we know it today—an emulsification of egg, oil, vinegar or lemon juice and seasonings—was created back in 1756 for a victory banquet. Its introduction was at a feast to celebrate the capture of Mahón (a city on Minorca, one of the Balearic Islands) by the Duc de Richelieu.
At the time In France sauces were traditionally made of egg and cream. However, as there was no cream available for the Duke’s chef olive oil was substituted. Once the new sauce—called Mahónnaise—was transported back to France, Marie-Antoine Carême, the father of Haute Cuisine, lightened it up a bit. Instead of olive oil, he made the emulsification using vegetable oil and egg yolks. His became the classic recipe for mayonnaise in Europe and later in the United States.
Mayonnaise has many culinary uses outside of “condimentizing” a sandwich or binding a salad. It is also used in baking for creating an extra moist cake. Some people swap it out for butter when making grilled cheese sandwiches. People who like to barbecue slather a layer of mayo on their fish to keep it from sticking on the grill. Brushing a whole chicken with mayo keeps it juicy during roasting, too. Southerners use it for making flaky biscuits. Its use in the kitchen is endless.
But what about outside of the kitchen? My casual research has uncovered a surprising list of home and beauty uses for mayonnaise. Don’t turn your nose up to these ideas as they may come in handy someday. If not, they will definitely prepare you for a game of Jeopardy! if mayonnaise is ever selected as the topic.
Mayonnaise does the following:
o Gets chewing gum out of your hair
o Cleans crayon marks on the wall
o Removes watermarks from wood
o Shines stainless steel
o Removes tar, sap, and sticker residue
o Polishes ivory piano keys
o Shines the leaves of houseplants
o Kills head lice
o Sooths sunburns
o Conditions brittle hair
o Moisturizes skin and cuticles
o Lessens the pain of burns
This week’s post includes a simple recipe for making mayonnaise from scratch using a blender. It is even easier to make with a hand immersion blender that is a slightly different technique. However, for a true retro experience, try creating mayonnaise the old-fashioned way with a whisk. The way the Belgian mothers did it back in the 50’s is guaranteed to make the mayonnaise taste even much scrumptious.