Mayonnaise (emulsified oil and egg sauce)
Mayonesa (salsa de aceite y huevo emulsionada)
- Date
- 1756 · confidence low
- Place
- Mahon, Menorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
- Credited to
- Minorcan or French cooks (Duke of Richelieu)
- Field
- Life & health
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A cold emulsion of oil and egg yolk with acid (lemon or vinegar) and salt, the base of many sauces. It is credited to the cook of the Duke of Richelieu after the French capture of Mahon in 1756.
The origin is disputed: mahonnaise (Menorca), bayonnaise (Bayonne) or the sauce of Charles de Mahon; the first printed recipes are French of the 18th century. No 1756 document proves it.
What it led to
- emulsified sauces (tartare, aioli, rouille)
- industrial mayonnaise in the 20th century
- research on food emulsions