Sauces · French cuisine
Mayonnaise
A cold emulsion of oil in egg yolks with vinegar and lemon – the base of French cold sauces.
At a glance
- Origin
- France; the origin of the name is uncertain.
- Production
- Yolks with vinegar, oil added in a thin thread while stirring constantly.
- Ratio
- Escoffier: 6 yolks per quart of oil.
- Pairs with
- Cold poultry, fish and lobster, salads.
- Use
- Mother sauce of cold sauces such as andalouse.
Mayonnaise is a cold emulsion: oil dispersed in tiny droplets through egg yolks, sharpened with vinegar and lemon juice. It is a typical sauce emulsion; it differs from hollandaise in being made cold and with oil rather than butter.
Escoffier seasons the yolks with salt and cayenne, works in the vinegar and then pours the oil in a thin thread while stirring constantly. He finishes it with lemon and a few spoonfuls of boiling water, which stabilise the sauce. He held that the usual mistake was adding oil too fast at the start, and insisted that cold harms mayonnaise and that there is no need to make it over ice.
The origin of the name is uncertain and explained in various ways. A whole family of cold sauces starts from mayonnaise, such as andalouse with tomato purée and sweet pepper; Provençal aïoli and rouille are relatives.