• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
surprising.recipes
menu icon
go to homepage
  • breakfast
  • soup
  • lunch
  • dessert
  • all
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • breakfast
    • soup
    • lunch
    • dessert
    • all
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » sauce

    Mahonnaise - the origin of mayonnaise

    25 May 2021 by toondebacker Leave a Comment

    Share this recipe
    mayo that never fails
    mayo that never fails

    I thank the Belgian travel reporter Arnout Hauben for the inspiration for this article. In the series Straight through the Mediterranean (Dwars door de Middellandse Zee) he travels from Gibraltar to Jerusalem. And one of his stops is Menorca, and the town of Mahon (Maó). And according to legend, that's where our most popular sauce comes from: Mahonnaise - the origin of mayonnaise. Reason enough to investigate this more in detail!

    But many people shy away from making their own mayonnaise. For fear that it will not thicken. That's why I've included here a simple basic recipe with an immersion blender that can't fail. Try it yourself once, and never buy mayonnaise again in the supermarket.

    mayo that never fails

    Mahonnaise - the origin of mayonnaise

    This is a super easy recipe for making mayonnaise. But we also look at its origins: Mahonnaise - the origin of mayonnaise.
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Total Time 5 mins
    Course sauce, Side Dish
    Cuisine French, Spanish
    Servings 250 ml
    Calories 9 kcal

    Equipment

    • immersion blender

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 egg
    • 1 teaspoon water
    • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon mustard
    • 250 ml neutral oil
    • pepper
    • salt

    Instructions
     

    • Place the egg, lemon juice, wine vinegar, water, mustard and herbs in a bowl for an immersion blender. That is such a high bowl in which the blender just fits.
    • Then pour the oil to the other ingredients.
    • Place the immersion blender on the bottom, and make sure the egg yolk is under the mixer.
    • Hold the immersion blender on the bottom and mix on the lowest setting. Slowly the consistency changes to mayonnaise.
    • After a while, gently move the immersion blender up and down until all the liquid has turned into mayonnaise.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1mlCalories: 9kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 1mgPotassium: 1mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 1mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword Mahon, Mahonnaise, mayo, mayonnaise
    Tried this recipe?Mention @surprisingrecipes or tag #surprisingrecipes!

    Stay in touch, get the latest updates!

    We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

    Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

    About Mahonnaise - the origin of Mayonnaise

    For the origin of mayonnaise (according to legend) we have to go to Maó - Mahon, the capital of the Balearic island Menorca. This is the little brother/sister of the much more famous Mallorca. The white sauce from Mahon is actually the result of the battle of Maó on May 20, 1756. The French defeated the British over this strategically located island. And that had to be celebrated! But unfortunately the chef didn't have the ingredients for a classic cream sauce. So he had to improvise and made an alternative white sauce with eggs and oil. Could he imagine this would become world famous!

    The “Mahonesa”, the sauce from Mahon, was very tasty and the generals liked it. Back in France it also appeared on the menu there, bastardised as “mayonnaise”. From there the white sauce, shortened as mayo, conquered the world.

    The original name is even more common in Spain. Spanish people use both names: mahonesa and mayonesa. In Spain, people will not like to hear that this is a French sauce. After all, the origin is on Spanish territory. Moreover, many say that this local recipe has existed there for a long time, and that the French simply adopted it.

    There are also indications that an at least similar sauce was already made by the Romans. In the first century AD, the Roman literary scientist Pliny (Plinius) already described a sauce that resembles mayonnaise suspiciously. He called it aïoli. So that victory sauce from 1756 probably didn’t come out of the blue.

    The following articles also research the origins on mayonnaise:

    • Wikipedia
    • a brief history of mayonnaise (slate.com)
    • The history of the word “mayonnaise" (wordhistories.net)
    • From haute to hoagie: the history of mayonnaise (forknplate.com)
    • Who invented mayonnaise (askajunkie)

    About Mayonnaise with the immersion blender

    A few centuries ago, there were of course no immersion blenders. In that era everything had to be beaten by hand. To avoid crazy or runny sauce, you had to very carefully add the oil to the egg and the flavor carriers. Drop by drop so to speak.

    But since the invention of the immersion blender, anyone can actually make mayonnaise. It's simple, can't fail and you don't have to be a cook for it! And it is ready in five minutes. 10 minutes if you add the dishwashing. So there is really no reason anymore to buy this tasty sauce in the store or supermarket. You make it faster than you can buy it. Know what you are eating and enjoy it more!

    Vary with the ingredients!

    In addition to the obligatory egg and oil, the classic seasonings are lemon juice, vinegar and mustard. You can vary according to your own taste and preference. Pepper and salt are of course also included. Some people also add sugar to neutralize the vinegar flavor.

    I like to use white wine vinegar to flavor my mayonnaise. But you can also work with other types or pure vinegar to find what tastes best for you. Or make it dependent on the ingredients you have at home.

    I like a lemon flavor. Nice and fresh! If I have fresh lemons at home, I use them. But lemon juice or lime juice from a bottle does the job just as well.

    What about the white of the egg? Should you use it? Can you use it? The original recipe only uses the egg yolk. But then what to do with the white? Of course, you can make a lot of tasty recipes only using the egg whites. But if you use the immersion blender you can just make it yourself easy and use the egg completely. So both the egg yolk and the white. No problem!

    It is important that you use fresh eggs! Since it is a cold preparation, any salmonella will not be cooked or fried. Risk patients and pregnant women must therefore also be careful.

    Another advantage of making it yourself is that you can make as much as you need. As you can store it only for about a week, you should not make too much big quantities. Throwing away food is always a pity.

    What to eat with mayonnaise? Or vice versa.

    Of course fries go with mayonnaise like Laurel goes with Hardy. You cannot have one without another. But there are many more surprising.recipes where you can use this delicious Mahonnaise - the origin of mayonnaise:

    • asparagus tonnato.
    • Smoked avocado chicken.
    • Belgian endives and arugula salad with blood sausage.
    • Waldorf towers
    • Potato-egg salad

    By the way, I dare to spread that on my sandwich as an alternative to butter. Delicious with a thick slice of cheese!

    If you speak Dutch, you can find the Dutch version of this recipe on gerechtenweb.blog.

    mayonnaise that never fails
    mayonnaise that never fails
    mayo that never fails
    mayo that never fails
    mahonaise - the origin of mayonnaise
    mahonaise - the origin of mayonnaise
    easy mayonnaise with the immersion blender
    easy mayonnaise with the immersion blender
    Mahonaise, the origin of mayonnaise

    Share this recipe

    More Surprising sauces

    • Green fresh basil oil
    • Wasabi-ginger mayonnaise
    • Autumn pesto with arugula, lamb's lettuce and walnuts
    • Easy and refreshing Greek tzatziki

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Toon
    Toon

    Hi, I'm Toon! A Belgian living in Berlin, Germany with an open mind to the world. And a cooking enthousiast. Especially open for new experiments and not so common recipes.

    More about me ?

    • Facebook page
    • Instagram account
    • Twitter account
    • Pinterest account
    • Send me a mail

    Popular

    • Hot smoked salmon with cucumber and apple
    • Ghent chicken casserole - waterzooi
    • Boursin bites with smoked salmon
    • Spicy roasted pumpkin

    Subscribe

    Contact

    GERECHTENWEB

    Top surprising.recipes per year

    201620172018
    201920202021
    2022

    Footer

    Back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • About Surprising.recipes
    • Contact
    • subscribe

    Surprising.Regional

    • Belgium
    • Italy
    • Greece
    • Asia

    Pages

    • Royal Boch
    • Surprising from the oven
    • Surprising.chicken
    • Surprising.appetizers

    Privacy Policy