Cooking without sauces would not be the same, and Mayonnaise It is, without a doubt, the most universal and versatile of all those that have ever been. Her reign stands firm without fear of passing fashions, and not even ketchup has been able to overshadow her. Considered one of the mother sauces of the kitchen, the recipe for homemade mayonnaise is as simple as it is delicate, the preparation of which is an art that is not without controversy. Also its origin and even the denomination itself Still today, it generates lively debates about the future of this sauce.
There are only two ingredients needed to prepare a homemade mayonnaise or mayonnaise, at least in its original basic formula: egg and oil. Almost by magic, but responding to the complex chemical process of the emulsionthe two components surrender to each other in a delicate union that, well integrated, gives us a smooth, homogeneous and absolutely delicious cream.
It can to enrich with salt, mustard, herbs, spices and a multitude of other dressings and components, creating variants as fashionable as avocado mayonnaise, green herbs, curry, spicy, with bacon, soy sauce or truffle, there are even variants made without oil only with egg white, using milk -lactones- or vegan, which minimize the health risks of raw eggs.
Each professional and in each family prepares and enjoys mayonnaise with different nuances, but the question that concerns us today is not to discuss proportions, techniques or whether it is better to use extra virgin olive oil or sunflower oil. On this occasion we pay tribute delving a little into its history and how he ended up conquering the whole world.
The definition
A good starting point, before diving into the historical guts of salsa, is to go to the dictionary. The Royal Academy of Languagealmost always concise in its culinary definitions, tells us about Mayonnaise that:
(From the French ‘mayonnaise’) f. Sauce made by beating oil and egg.
For his part, the gastronomy dictionary Leave us some more details:
Cold sauce obtained from an emulsion of oil and egg, seasoned with salt and vinegar or lemon. It is used to accompany hot or cold dishes and is applied in all types of kitchens, due to its versatility and adaptability. It is believed to have originated in Mahon (Menorca), hence its name, and spread throughout the Mediterranean after the French invasion. Also known as mayonnaise.
So we return to the RAE in search of mayonnaisewhich refers us to mayonnaise:
- adj. Natural of Mahón, city of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. u.tcs
- adj. Belonging or relating to Mahón or the Mahoneses.
- F. Mayonnaise.
Therefore, the dictionary admits both options as correct, although in 2005 the Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Doubts points to mayonnaise as more correct etymologically, but less frequent in habitual use.
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From Mahón to France with battles in between
Yes Mayonnaise comes from French, but it is accepted mayonnaise as an equivalent term, and this comes from Mahón, there is a historical tangle to unravel, which continues to give historians, philologists, gastronomes and researchers headaches.
There is no doubt about the crucial role played by the war context of the 18th century, specifically between France and England, whose relations have never been very friendly. The Peace of Utrecht In one of its treaties after the War of Spanish Succession, it left the English the cession of the island of Menorca, until the French army decided to seize its power in 1756, in a battle framed in the Seven Years’ War.
The Duke and Marshal of Richelieugreat-nephew of the famous cardinal of the same name, won and stayed there until they were again expelled by the English in 1763, but, in theory, they had time to create a original mayonnaise sauce, whose recipe would be taken to France. As the historian and gastronome expert points out Ana Vegait is said that it was an invention of the Duke’s cook to celebrate the victory, but it is most likely that it was an appropriation of the Mahon recipe book itself.
Investigating the written sources of the time and previous centuries, it becomes evident that already on the island some type of sauce based on garlic, oil and other seasonings, a kind of primitive aioli or, simply, garlic, which used to be emulsified with the help of breadcrumbs or egg. the cookbook kitchen art signed by the Minorcan Fra Roger (mid-18th century) mentions a aioli bo -good alioli- in 19 recipes, whose current version is replaced by a mayonnaise, not by a canonical alioli, too strong.
From France to the whole world, without ax
It is therefore concluded that the French knew first-hand that succulent dressing so common in everyday Menorcan cuisine, with its variants in other Mediterranean areas, and that Richelieu’s cook probably adopted it in his own recipe book, taking her back to France.
Although our neighbors have claimed to be the inventors of the mayonnaise, today the French stay in Mahón is admitted as more than probable origin. Along the way there are theories such as its link with Bayonne (more in disuse, but it is still mentioned bayoness –bayonet– as a synonym) or the word manner (handle, manipulate).
Already in the nineteenth century, in full birth and development of the haute cuisine French, different publications were including mentions and versions of the sauce, already with a recipe very similar to the current one described by Antonin Careme in 1815. And since in Spain we were very fond of copying the French in their culinary arts and fashions, the ‘Manual of the economic maid‘ replies the “white mayonnaise sauce“simply removing tarragon, as early as 1830.
Thus, the use of the word derived from French was imposed, Mayonnaisea letter change that Pep Pelfort attributed to a typographical error in the publication Le Cuisinier Imperial (1808), which also made pronunciation easier for the French. And so the people of Mahon were left a bit in oblivion in Spain as well.
But before the turn of the century several authors defended the theory of the Spanish origin of salsa, such as Ignasi Domenech or Lorenzo Lafuente, culminating in 1930 with the protest text of the cook Teodoro Bardaji Mas‘The mayonnaise sauce. Compilation of opinions about the much-discussed name of this cold sauce’.
As Vega herself concludes, the damage was already done; mayonnaise has spread around the world with the Greek i, thus adapting to other languages -in English it is usually called simply May– and being the most used word in commercial versions and cookbooks.
Mayonnaise or mayonnaise, the people rule and therefore both are valid, but if we want to boast of national origin and do historical justice to one of the best inventions of humanity, we should claim the ax. What would become of our Russian salad, of so many sandwiches, sandwiches and hamburgers, stuffed eggs or canapés and skewers without the blessed sauce.
Photos | Mark Verch
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