Mayonnaise (history of invention). The Incredible History of Mayonnaise

The origin of the word mayonnaise in French is unknown. Larousse Gastronomique 1961 is of the opinion that the word comes from the old French "moyeu", which, among other things, meant yolk.

There are other versions of its origin, mostly legendary and based on vivid historical events. Here is one of them:

The word "mayonnaise" is of geographical origin and is associated with the name of the city of Mahon, the capital of the Spanish island of Menorca, which is part of the Balearic Islands. As stated in one of the French encyclopedic dictionaries, Mahon was conquered by the Duke of Richelieu. In 1757, the British laid siege to this city. The French ran out of food except for eggs and olive oil. From these products, the cooks prepared scrambled eggs and omelettes, which the French officers were pretty tired of. Duke Richelieu ordered his cook to prepare some new dish. The resourceful cook beat the eggs with butter and seasoned the mixture with salt and spices. The sauce they liked was called "mayonnaise", in honor of the city of Mahon.

In Menorca itself, mayonnaise is called salsa mahonesa (Maon sauce).

It is possible that this simple sauce is quite ancient and originated independently in several places in the Mediterranean - where there is olive oil and eggs.

There is another version that mayonnaise originated from ali-oli sauce (garlic grated with olive oil), known since time immemorial.

Industrial mayonnaise

The original mayonnaise recipe is not suitable for long-term storage, and therefore industrial mayonnaise was developed for industrial production.

Classification

  • high-calorie (mass fraction of fat from 55%; water less than 35%)
  • medium-calorie (mass fraction of fat 40-55%; water 35-50%)
  • low-calorie (mass fraction of fat up to 40%; water more than 50%)

Technology

Mayonnaise is an oil-in-water emulsion and has traditionally been made with egg lecithin (egg yolk). Later, it was almost completely replaced by soy lecithin and other emulsifiers.

The recognized leader in the consumption of mayonnaise is the city of Yekaterinburg, which is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records

At first, mayonnaise was classified as a delicacy, considered a product for the elite of society. But over time, like other inventions of court culinary specialists, mayonnaise was sufficiently democratized and became popular and accessible to all sections of French, and later the entire European society.

, sugar , table salt , sometimes mustard and other spices .

Story

The origin of the word "mayonnaise" in French is unknown. Larousse Gastronomique 1961 is of the opinion that the word comes from the old French "moyeu", which, among other things, meant yolk.

There are other versions of its origin, mostly legendary and based on vivid historical events. Here is one of them:

The word "mayonnaise" is of geographical origin and is associated with the name of the city of Mahon, the capital of the Spanish island of Menorca, which is part of the Balearic Islands. As stated in one of the French encyclopedic dictionaries, Mahon was conquered by the Duke of Richelieu. In 1758, the British laid siege to this city. The French ran out of food except for eggs and olive oil. From these products, the cooks prepared scrambled eggs and omelettes, which the French officers were pretty tired of. Duke Richelieu ordered his cook to prepare some new dish. The resourceful cook beat the eggs with butter and seasoned the mixture with salt and spices. The sauce they liked was called "mayonnaise", in honor of the city of Mahon.

In Menorca itself, mayonnaise is called salsa mahonesa (Maon sauce).

It is possible that this simple sauce is quite ancient and originated independently in several places in the Mediterranean - where there is olive oil and eggs.

There is another version that mayonnaise originated from ali-oli sauce (garlic grated with olive oil), known since time immemorial.

Traditional composition

The original mayonnaise recipe consists of egg yolk, vinegar, vegetable oil, salt, and pepper (a spice). You can add various ingredients for flavor - lemon, mustard, which improves the elasticity of the emulsion. In Germany and the Netherlands, mayonnaise is traditionally sweetened slightly.

For Russia and the CIS countries, sunflower oil and mustard oil are often used as the main ingredients. In other countries, olive oil and pureed mustard are very often used.

Mayonnaise industrial production

Industrially produced mayonnaise follows a conventional recipe, but uses refined oils and milk and eggs in the form of egg powder and milk powder. Purification of oils by refining and eggs and milk by pasteurization is carried out to destroy bacteria and viruses to increase the shelf life of mayonnaise, as well as reduce the risk of food poisoning to consumers, both from spoilage of the mayonnaise itself and from spoilage of products for its production during storage.

Classification

In the Soviet Union, Provencal mayonnaise, produced at many oil and fat plants, was traditionally popular. The recipe and composition of mayonnaise was strictly regulated by the state standard. Mayonnaise was made from traditional products: sunflower oil, water, egg powder, milk powder, salt, sugar, mustard powder, vinegar - and had a fat content of 67%. The only preservative in Provence mayonnaise was spirit vinegar.

In Russia, standards in the food industry, including standards for mayonnaise, have been significantly liberalized. GOST 30004.1-93 gave greater freedom in the choice of composition and the use of chemical additives. But manufacturers are in no hurry to follow even him, inventing their own specifications. According to GOST 30004.1-93, all ready-made "mayonnaises", depending on their fat content, were divided into classes:

  • high-calorie (mass fraction of fat from 55%; water less than 35%)
  • medium-calorie (mass fraction of fat 40-55%; water 30-50%)
  • low-calorie (mass fraction of fat up to 40%; water more than 50%)

On July 1, 2012, GOST R 53590-2009 came into force, which significantly tightens the quality requirements for mayonnaise. According to the new GOST, only a product containing at least 50% fat and 1% egg powder can be called mayonnaise. Products with a fat content of at least 15% may be referred to as "mayonnaise sauce".

Technology

Mayonnaise is a water-in-oil emulsion and has traditionally been made with egg lecithin (egg yolk). Later, it was almost completely replaced by soy lecithin and other emulsifiers with HLB 8...18.

Best before date

The original mayonnaise is stored for only a few days, as its recipe includes perishable products. To increase the shelf life, manufacturers use preservatives, refining and pasteurization of components. The shelf life of mayonnaises of different brands ranges from 1 to 7 months.

Effect on the body

Mayonnaise is a flavoring seasoning for food.

Mayonnaise, along with ketchup, kvass, mushrooms, okroshka, naval pasta and fried eggs, is prohibited for meals in schools, primary and secondary vocational education institutions in Russia.

Well-known nutritionist, doctor of medical sciences, M.M. Ginsburg notes that the harm of mayonnaise is mostly a philistine myth and it is not mayonnaise itself that affects health badly, but an imbalance in fat intake and, above all, excessive calorie intake.

Mayonnaise itself consists of 60-80% vegetable sunflower oil, which, unlike animal fats or palm oil, does not lead to the formation of excess cholesterol, i.e. in the balance of fat consumption are one of the safest. Egg powder and milk powder in mayonnaise are not more dangerous to health than eggs and milk. Mustard oil as part of mayonnaise is a very useful product due to omega-3 fats that destroy cholesterol, and mustard oil is one of the most effective means for generating endorphin, the "hormone of happiness", which explains the burst of energy that appears after eating mayonnaise and cravings for it.

It should be borne in mind that although the main ingredient of mayonnaise as sunflower oil does not contain cholesterol, nevertheless eggs in the form of a powder or natural mayonnaise contain a lot of cholesterol. According to the USDA, regular mayonnaise has 42 mg of cholesterol per 100 grams. For comparison, according to the USDA in eggs - 373 mg, in butter - 215 mg, and meat - 73 mg per 100 grams. It is sometimes pointed out that cholesterol is destroyed during frying, and salads with mayonnaise are usually served without heat treatment, so mayonnaise is a great source of cholesterol. Meanwhile, this is not true, because. cholesterol crystals do not even melt up to +148 C, and cholesterol is destroyed only at +360 C. In addition, it should be borne in mind that egg powder in the composition of industrial mayonnaise also undergoes pasteurization at high temperatures.

Since the industrial production of mayonnaise uses purified (refined) oils, as well as egg and milk powders pasteurized at high temperature, almost 100% destruction of bacteria and viruses occurs, which explains the long shelf life of industrially manufactured mayonnaise and the extremely low risk of food poisoning. During the refining of oils used for industrial mayonnaises, oxidizers that cause food spoilage are destroyed as free fatty acids. Pasteurization of egg powder renders Salmonella infection impossible. True, it should be taken into account that refining and pasteurization also reduce the amount of vitamins and phosphorus-containing substances. When making mayonnaise according to "homemade recipes" from natural oils, eggs and milk, more useful substances are preserved, but the risk of poisoning from food spoilage or infection when they are infected with bacteria or viruses increases.

The danger of mayonnaise for health lies in its very high calorie content of 680 kcal per 100 grams due to the large amount of vegetable fats. At the same time, the calorie content of mayonnaise according to the USDA is lower than sunflower oil 884 kcal with the same salad dressing. This is due to the fact that mayonnaise is a water-in-oil emulsion, i.e. sunflower oil is diluted with water, so the calorie content is less. At the same time, there are also low-calorie mayonnaises with an even lower calorie content. Therefore, the higher calorie content of mayonnaise relative to salad dressing oil is another myth.

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  • . Mayonnaises and mayonnaise sauces. General specifications

An excerpt characterizing Mayonnaise

Iogel had the funniest balls in Moscow. This was said by mothers, looking at their adolescentes, [girls] doing their newly learned steps; this was said by the adolescentes and adolescents themselves, [girls and boys] dancing until they dropped; these grown girls and young people who came to these balls with the idea of ​​descending to them and finding the best fun in them. In the same year, two marriages took place at these balls. Two pretty princesses Gorchakovs found suitors and got married, and all the more they let these balls into glory. What was special at these balls was that there was no host and hostess: there was, like fluff flying, bowing according to the rules of art, good-natured Yogel, who accepted tickets for lessons from all his guests; was that these balls were still attended only by those who wanted to dance and have fun, as 13 and 14 year old girls want this, putting on long dresses for the first time. All, with rare exceptions, were or seemed pretty: they all smiled so enthusiastically and their eyes lit up so much. Sometimes the best students even danced pas de chale, of which the best was Natasha, distinguished by her grace; but at this, the last ball, only ecossaises, anglaises and the mazurka, which was just coming into fashion, danced. The hall was taken by Yogel to Bezukhov's house, and the ball was a great success, as everyone said. There were many pretty girls, and the Rostov young ladies were among the best. Both of them were especially happy and cheerful. That evening, Sonya, proud of Dolokhov's proposal, her refusal and explanation with Nikolai, was still circling at home, not allowing the girl to comb her braids, and now shone through with impetuous joy.
Natasha, no less proud that she was in a long dress for the first time, at a real ball, was even happier. Both were in white, muslin dresses with pink ribbons.
Natasha became in love from the very moment she entered the ball. She was not in love with anyone in particular, but she was in love with everyone. In the one she looked at at the moment she looked, she was in love with him.
- Oh, how good! she kept saying, running up to Sonya.
Nikolai and Denisov walked through the halls, looking affectionately and patronizingly at the dancers.
- How sweet she is, she will be, - said Denisov.
- Who?
“Mr. Athena Natasha,” answered Denisov.
- And how she dances, what a g "ation!" After a pause, he said again.
- Who are you talking about?
“About your sister,” Denisov shouted angrily.
Rostov chuckled.
– Mon cher comte; vous etes l "un de mes meilleurs ecoliers, il faut que vous dansiez," said little Yogel, approaching Nikolai. "Voyez combien de jolies demoiselles. [Dear count, you are one of my best students. You need to dance. Look how much pretty girls!] - He turned with the same request to Denisov, also his former student.
- Non, mon cher, je fe "ai tapisse" ie, [No, my dear, I'll sit by the wall,] said Denisov. "Don't you remember how badly I used your lessons?"
- Oh no! – hastily comforting him, said Yogel. - You were only inattentive, but you had the ability, yes, you had the ability.
The newly introduced mazurka began to play; Nikolai could not refuse Yogel and invited Sonya. Denisov sat down next to the old women and leaned on his saber, stomping to the beat, telling something merrily and making the old ladies laugh, looking at the dancing youth. Yogel in the first pair danced with Natasha, his pride and best student. Softly, gently moving his feet in his shoes, Yogel was the first to fly across the hall with Natasha, who was timid, but diligently doing her steps. Denisov did not take his eyes off her and tapped time with his saber, with an air that clearly said that he himself did not dance only because he did not want to, and not because he could not. In the middle of the figure, he called to him Rostov, who was passing by.
“That's not it at all,” he said. - Is this a Polish mazu "ka? And she dances well." Knowing that Denisov was even famous in Poland for his skill in dancing the Polish mazurka, Nikolai ran up to Natasha:
- Go ahead, choose Denisov. Here she is dancing! Miracle! - he said.
When it was Natasha's turn again, she stood up and quickly fingering her shoes with bows, timidly, ran alone through the hall to the corner where Denisov was sitting. She saw that everyone was looking at her and waiting. Nikolai saw that Denisov and Natasha were arguing with a smile, and that Denisov refused, but smiled happily. He ran.
“Please, Vasily Dmitritch,” Natasha said, “let’s go, please.”
“Yes, thank you, Mrs. Athena,” said Denisov.
“Well, that’s enough, Vasya,” said Nikolai.
“It’s like Vaska is being persuaded,” Denisov said jokingly.
“I will sing to you all evening,” said Natasha.
- The sorceress will do everything with me! - said Denisov and unfastened his saber. He stepped out from behind the chairs, firmly took his lady by the hand, raised his head and put his foot aside, expecting tact. Only on horseback and in a mazurka was Denisov's small stature not visible, and he seemed to be the same fine fellow as he himself felt. After waiting for a beat, he looked at his lady from the side, victoriously and jokingly, unexpectedly tapped with one foot and, like a ball, rebounded resiliently from the floor and flew along in a circle, dragging his lady with him. He silently flew half the hall on one leg, and seemed not to see the chairs standing in front of him and rushed straight at them; but suddenly, snapping his spurs and spreading his legs, he stopped on his heels, stood like that for a second, with a roar of spurs, his feet tapped in one place, quickly turned around and, snapping his left foot with his right, again flew in a circle. Natasha guessed what he intended to do, and, not knowing how herself, followed him - surrendering to him. Now he circled her, now on his right, then on his left hand, then falling to his knees, circled her around him, and again jumped up and rushed forward with such swiftness, as if he intended, without taking a breath, to run across all the rooms; then he would suddenly stop again and make another new and unexpected knee. When he, briskly circling the lady in front of her seat, clicked his spur, bowing in front of her, Natasha did not even sit down to him. She fixed her eyes on him in bewilderment, smiling as if she did not recognize him. – What is it? she said.
Despite the fact that Yogel did not recognize this mazurka as real, everyone was delighted with the skill of Denisov, they incessantly began to choose him, and the old people, smiling, began to talk about Poland and about the good old days. Denisov, flushed from the mazurka and wiping himself with a handkerchief, sat down next to Natasha and did not leave her the whole ball.

Two days after this, Rostov did not see Dolokhov at his home and did not find him at home; on the third day he received a note from him. “Since I no longer intend to visit your house for reasons known to you and I’m going to the army, this evening I give my friends a farewell feast - come to an English hotel.” Rostov at 10 o'clock, from the theater, where he was with his friends and Denisov, arrived on the appointed day at the English hotel. He was immediately taken to the best room in the hotel, occupied by Dolokhov that night. About twenty people crowded around the table, in front of which Dolokhov sat between two candles. Gold and banknotes lay on the table, and Dolokhov threw the bank. After the proposal and refusal of Sonya, Nikolai had not yet seen him and was confused at the thought of how they would meet.
Dolokhov's bright, cold gaze met Rostov at the door, as if he had been waiting for him for a long time.
“Long time no see,” he said, “thank you for coming.” That's just home, and Ilyushka will appear with the choir.
“I stopped by to see you,” Rostov said, blushing.
Dolokhov did not answer him. “You can bet,” he said.
Rostov remembered at that moment a strange conversation he had once had with Dolokhov. “Only fools can play for luck,” Dolokhov said then.
Or are you afraid to play with me? Dolokhov said now, as if he had guessed Rostov's thought, and smiled. Because of his smile, Rostov saw in him that mood of spirit that he had during dinner at the club and in general at those times when, as if bored with everyday life, Dolokhov felt the need to get out of it by some strange, mostly cruel act. .
Rostov felt uncomfortable; he searched and did not find in his mind a joke that would answer Dolokhov's words. But before he could do this, Dolokhov, looking straight into Rostov's face, slowly and deliberately, so that everyone could hear, said to him:
- Do you remember, we talked about the game with you ... a fool who wants to play for luck; I should probably play, but I want to try.
"Try for luck, or perhaps?" thought Rostov.
“Besides, don’t play,” he added, and cracking a torn deck, he added: “A bank, gentlemen!
Pushing the money forward, Dolokhov prepared to throw. Rostov sat down beside him and at first did not play. Dolokhov looked at him.
Why don't you play? Dolokhov said. And strangely, Nikolai felt the need to take a card, put a small sum on it and start the game.
“I don’t have any money with me,” Rostov said.
- I believe!
Rostov put 5 rubles on the card and lost, put another and lost again. Dolokhov killed, that is, he won ten cards in a row from Rostov.
“Gentlemen,” he said after a few moments, “please put money on cards, otherwise I might get confused in the accounts.”
One of the players said that he hoped he could be trusted.
- You can believe, but I'm afraid to get confused; I ask you to put money on cards, - Dolokhov answered. "Don't be shy, we'll deal with you," he added to Rostov.
The game went on: the footman, without ceasing, served champagne.
All the cards of Rostov were beaten, and up to 800 tons of rubles were written on it. He wrote 800 tons of rubles over one card, but while he was being served champagne, he changed his mind and wrote again an ordinary kush, twenty rubles.
- Leave it, - said Dolokhov, although he did not seem to be looking at Rostov, - you will soon win back. I give to others, but I beat you. Or are you afraid of me? he repeated.
Rostov obeyed, left the written 800 and placed a seven of hearts with a corner torn off, which he picked up from the ground. He remembered her well afterwards. He placed the seven of hearts, writing 800 above it in broken off chalk, in round, straight numbers; drank the served glass of warmed champagne, smiled at Dolokhov's words, and with bated breath, waiting for the seven, began to look at Dolokhov's hands, holding the deck. Winning or losing this seven of hearts meant a lot to Rostov. On Sunday last week, Count Ilya Andreich gave his son 2,000 rubles, and he, who never liked to talk about financial difficulties, told him that this money was the last until May, and that therefore he asked his son to be more economical this time. Nikolai said that this was too much for him, and that he gave his word of honor not to take more money until spring. Now 1,200 rubles remained of this money. Therefore, the seven of hearts meant not only the loss of 1,600 rubles, but also the need to change this word. With bated breath, he looked at Dolokhov’s hands and thought: “Well, hurry up, give me this card, and I’ll take my cap, go home to dinner with Denisov, Natasha and Sonya, and surely there will never be a card in my hands.” At that moment, his home life, jokes with Petya, conversations with Sonya, duets with Natasha, a picket with his father, and even a quiet bed in the Cook's House, presented themselves to him with such force, clarity and charm, as if all this had long passed, lost and invaluable happiness. He could not allow that a stupid accident, forcing the seven to lie first on the right than on the left, could deprive him of all this newly understood, newly illuminated happiness and plunge him into the abyss of an as yet unexperienced and indefinite misfortune. It could not be, but he still waited with bated breath for the movement of Dolokhov's hands. These broad-boned, reddish hands, with hair visible from under their shirts, laid down a deck of cards and took up the glass and pipe being served.


Mayonnaise. History of appearance

And mayonnaise sauce, invented by the French, has become one of the most popular sauces in Europe and is present in almost all cuisines of the world, and in Russia it has become almost a national Russian product.

M Ionnaise is a cold sauce, its main ingredients are vegetable oil, egg yolks, vinegar, sugar and salt.

FROM There are several versions of the origin of both the mayonnaise itself and the word "mayonnaise".

P According to one version, the word "mayonnaise" comes from the old French "moyeu", which, among other meanings, meant "yolk". According to another version, this word is of geographical origin and comes from the name of the capital of the Spanish island of Menorca - the city of Mahon.

And a couple of versions of the creation of mayonnaise sauce. The most popular is the version about the creation of mayonnaise in the XIX century in the city of Mahon, and there are also at least two versions.

P about one of them, mayonnaise was created in 1757 during the capture of the city by the French under the leadership of the Duke de Richelieu, and forced to hold it after the siege by the British. Then, due to the scarcity of food - only olive oil and eggs remained - the resourceful cook ground fresh egg yolks with sugar and salt and gradually, pouring in small portions and stirring vigorously each time until completely homogeneous, mixed everything with olive oil, then added lemon juice to the mixture. juice and mix well again. Thus, a unique sauce was invented, with which even simple soldier's bread became amazingly tasty. And the recipe of this unknown chef has become a classic recipe for “maon sauce” (in French “mayonnaise”) or “mayonnaise”.

D another version of the origin of mayonnaise is also associated with the events in Mahon, but this time in 1782, when the city was conquered by the Spaniards, commanded by the Frenchman in the Spanish service, Duke Louis de Crillon, and for a big feast in honor of the victory, the duke ordered the chefs to cook something “very special”, which is what became an unprecedented sauce made from the best Provencal olive oil, eggs and lemon juice with the addition of salt, sugar and red pepper.

P about the third version, mayonnaise originated from the sauce "ali-oli" (translated from Spanish - "garlic-and-butter"), known to the inhabitants of Southern Europe from time immemorial, and which has come down to our days under the name "aoli". Virgil wrote about this seasoning ...

To be that as it may, and despite all the theoretical disputes about the origin of mayonnaise, at the end of the 18th century, the wonderful sauce firmly entered the menu of European aristocrats and became a classic dressing for cold appetizers, although it was very expensive in those days. This was due to the fact that the chefs who owned the recipe for making mayonnaise kept it a big secret, although the preparation of mayonnaise is not difficult, but it requires certain skills and knowledge of cooking technology.

AT At the beginning of the 19th century, the chef Olivier from a family of famous French chefs invented a version of mayonnaise with the addition of mustard and a small amount of some secret spices (the composition of these spices is now lost). Mustard gave mayonnaise a special piquant taste and, being a natural natural emulsifier, greatly simplified its preparation and improved storage stability. So it turned out a spicier maynez, called "Provencal sauce from Mahon" - Provencal mayonnaise, or simply Provencal sauce.

And It was Provencal mayonnaise, used by a native of this family, Lucien Olivier, who moved to Russia and became a famous Russian restaurateur, and provided a wonderful taste to the Olivier salad he invented.

H Despite the ease of preparation and a set of simple and affordable ingredients, mayonnaise has become one of the wonders of world culinary art. It is not only a highly nutritious product in itself, it also facilitates easy digestion of food taken with it and is an excellent seasoning for many dishes.

History of mayonnaise in Russia

P mayonnaise began to be produced by the food industry of the country in 1936 in Moscow. It was Provencal mayonnaise. It was produced at the Shelepikha production site, which later became part of the Moscow Fat Plant. The classic mayonnaise "Provencal" was even included in the grocery set, issued by cards.

D other types of mayonnaise began to be produced only in the post-war period. The recipe for mayonnaise "Spring" provided for the addition of dill oil, there were mayonnaises with other additives, mayonnaise with 30% tomato paste was intended for fish and fish salads, with 20% grated horseradish - for cold meat dishes, with 25% finely chopped gherkins and capers - for fried meat, with 15% sauce "Southern" - for meat and vegetable salads. Mayonnaise without sugar was produced for diabetics.

P Later, as the chemical industry developed, Soviet mayonnaise began to lose its high quality due to the introduction of unwanted additives. Now Russian store-bought mayonnaises, for the most part, are only a “mayonnaise-like product”, since modern Russian GOSTs allow a product that is not mayonnaise to be called mayonnaise. So, according to GOST, manufacturers can use a wide range of raw food products and chemicals, including low-quality vegetable oils, up to rapeseed, soy products, chemical emulsifiers, starch and other ingredients that are not part of the classic mayonnaise and its varieties.

At toughened the requirements for the quality of mayonnaise GOST R 53590-2009, which entered into force in 2012. According to this GOST, a product containing more than 50% fat and more than 1% egg powder can be called mayonnaise. Although this is far from a real classic mayonnaise sauce ...

Making mayonnaise at home

H real classic sauce mayonnaise and mayonnaise "Provencal" can be easily prepared at home. The whole process, with some skill, takes no more than 8-10 minutes.

M Ionnaise is an emulsion of olive oil in raw egg yolk with a little salt, sugar, and lemon juice. It is allowed to add up to 0.5% dry finely ground spices (nutmeg, red or black pepper, lemon peel). And nothing else, no water, no milk. Mayonnaise "Provencal" contains mustard.

mayonnaise birthday

H Despite the various versions and dates of the invention of mayonnaise, May 28, 1756 is considered the birthday of perhaps the most popular sauce.

E it is not the oldest sauce, but one of the few whose date of appearance, although controversial, is determined. Therefore, in culinary calendars, the day May 28 marked as Birthday of a wonderful mayonnaise sauce.

Mayonnaise was invented by accident, or rather, forced.

It was in 1757. The British laid siege to Mahon, the main city of Menorca. The French, who settled in the port of Mahon, were running out of food supplies, leaving only eggs and Provence oil. The cooks prepared omelettes and scrambled eggs every day, and the officers, accustomed to a more varied menu, were rather tired of such food. Then the Duke of Richelieu, who commanded the French troops, ordered some new food to be prepared from eggs and butter. One resourceful cook came up with the happy idea of ​​knocking eggs with butter and seasoning this mixture with spices. I liked the dish, and the new sauce was called mayonnaise, that is, Mayon.

The name of the chef remained unknown, and the sauce gained worldwide popularity not only because of its taste, but also because mayonnaise is nutritious and healthy.

How and from what is mayonnaise made?

In fact, we have already answered this question: from vegetable oil, which is mixed or churned with eggs (or egg yolks). Let's find out the role of the yolk in the sauce.

If you mix oil with water in a glass, they will soon separate: the lighter oil will be on top, and the water will be on the bottom. Mayonnaise, as everyone knows, is a stable emulsion, it does not exfoliate for a long time. For this, the yolk is needed, or rather the phosphatides that are part of it, especially one of them - lecithin, the content of which in the yolk reaches 10%. (There is also a lot of it in organ meats - liver, kidneys, etc. - and in soybeans, yet less than in the yolk.)

Lecithin is necessary for the human body, but now we are interested in the production of mayonnaise, where this substance is assigned a purely technological role. He is an emulsifier.

The destruction of the emulsion (and mayonnaise is no exception) begins with coalescence - the merging of individual droplets, in our case oil. To prevent the oil from floating up, it is necessary to protect its droplets, surround each film. Now we can say why lecithin is needed: it just forms such films.

The most common mayonnaise is table, or Provence. It contains at least 67% vegetable oil, and in addition, milk powder, flavorings - vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt - and, of course, egg yolks. However, from all that has been said above, it should be clear that you can do without fresh eggs or egg powder at all, and take phosphatide concentrates, which contain a lot of lecithin. Experiments on making mayonnaise without eggs have been repeatedly made, the emulsion really turned out to be stable, only mayonnaise with yolk is still tastier ...

There are many mayonnaises. Some of them add tomato paste (30%), others - various spices (for example, cumin, pepper, cardamom), or ready-made seasonings or mashed horseradish (18%). There are also sweet mayonnaises, they contain jam, applesauce, cocoa. Of course, because of the additives in such mayonnaises, there is somewhat less fat (from 37 to 55%).

Everyone is quite familiar with ready-made factory mayonnaise, however, some housewives still prepare mayonnaise themselves to this day - in approximately the same way as the unknown chef from Mahon.

For those who like to tinker in the kitchen, we will tell you about this simple process. Mustard, salt are added to raw yolks, separated from proteins, and mixed well. Then, with continuous churning, vegetable oil is gradually added to the paste, and at the very end - vinegar and sugar. Vinegar can be replaced with lemon juice. Here is the layout for a kilogram of mayonnaise: 750 g of vegetable oil, 6 yolks, 150 g of table (3%) vinegar, 25 g of mustard, 20 g of sugar. Since at home, unlike the factory, there are no emulsifiers or homogenizers that make the emulsion very thin, home-made mayonnaise will differ in durability from the factory one - not for the better. As for the taste, any housewife can experiment with additives, and - who knows - will she be able to create her own, unique sauce?

But instructions on when and in what cases to use mayonnaise are hardly appropriate. Because it is truly a universal seasoning: for salad, meat, fish.


There are several versions of the invention of mayonnaise, mostly legendary and associated with bright historical events. One of the stories tells that the word "mayonnaise" is of geographical origin and is associated with the name of the city of Mahon, the capital of the Spanish island of Menorca.

As stated in one of the French encyclopedic dictionaries, Mahon was conquered by the Duke of Richelieu. In 1758, the British laid siege to this city. The French ran out of food except for eggs and olive oil. From these products, the cooks prepared scrambled eggs and omelettes, which the French officers were pretty tired of. Duke Richelieu ordered his cook to prepare some new dish. The resourceful cook beat the eggs with butter and seasoned the mixture with salt and spices. The sauce they liked was called "mayonnaise", in honor of the city of Mahon.

In Menorca itself, mayonnaise is called salsa mahonesa (Maon sauce). It is possible that this simple sauce originated independently in several places in the Mediterranean at once - where there is olive oil and eggs.

Who developed the recipe for the famous Provencal mayonnaise?

At the beginning of the 19th century, a cook from the family of famous French chefs, Olivier, invented a version of mayonnaise with the addition of mustard and a small amount of seasonings (the composition of these seasonings has been lost). Mustard gave mayonnaise a special piquant taste and, being a natural emulsifier, greatly simplified its preparation and improved storage stability. This sauce, spicier than the classic mayonnaise invented in Mahon, was called Provence sauce from Mahon - Provencal mayonnaise.

Later, a native of this family, Lucien Olivier, moved to live in Russia, where he became a famous Russian restaurateur. It was Provencal mayonnaise that provided excellent taste to the famous Olivier salad invented by Lucien. It must be said that the original mayonnaise recipe is not suitable for long-term storage, and therefore a recipe, also called "mayonnaise", was developed for industrial production.

The production of the first Soviet mayonnaise "Provencal" began in Moscow in 1936. The novelty was taken to Stalin for testing. The top leadership of the country liked the mayonnaise, and it was even included in the grocery set issued by cards. The classic "Provencal" has since become the most favorite mayonnaise of Russians, and for a long time remained the only mayonnaise in the country.

What should be the recipe for a classic Provence?

It must be said that the recipe for the classic "Provencal", familiar to the consumer since Soviet times, has undergone significant changes. Unfortunately, most manufacturers who call their product "Provencal" use a different recipe.

This does not mean that the buyer receives a low-quality product, but it tastes very different from what was called mayonnaise in the USSR. The composition of the Soviet mayonnaise included only the following natural ingredients: butter, egg yolk, vinegar, salt, sugar. The fat content of the product was 68%, while according to modern standards, the fat content of mayonnaise can be at least 50%. Products with a lower fat content are mayonnaise sauces. But the legislation does not fix which mayonnaise can be classified as "Provencal". Therefore, now such labels are more often a marketing ploy than the manufacturer's desire to recreate the traditional recipe.

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