Mayonnaise

Filed Under January 2008, columns 

Dear Word Detective: I’ve read several egg-headed histories for the word “mayonnaise.” One suggests a chef concocted the sauce in celebration of a French military victory at Mahon. Another has it named for the French word “manier,” meaning to mold or handle, or magner (as in blending the egg yolks with oil), combined with “aise” meaning “easy” or “ease.” Yet a third suggests it was named for the Duke of Mayenne, because he wouldn’t join the losing battle against Henry IV until he finished his chicken with mayonnaise (called “cold sauce” prior to the event). I have the feeling a “none of the above” response may be in order. — George.

Mayonnaise came from Heaven. Look it up. Seriously, I grew up in Connecticut, where mayonnaise is considered one of the major food groups all by itself. For most of my life I thought “too much mayonnaise” was an oxymoron. Then I moved to Ohio and watched someone slathering the stuff on white bread, upon which they then piled chicken salad (itself consisting of at least 80 percent mayonnaise). There is such a thing as too much mayonnaise.

Mayonnaise is, of course, a thick, creamy sauce made from egg yolks and (usually) vegetable oil, flavored with vinegar, salt, sometimes lemon juice, and often mustard. Mayonnaise definitely came to us from France, but just where the name “mayonnaise” came from is a major mystery.

You’ve given a good rundown of three leading theories, of which the “Mahon” story is probably the most well-known. Mahon is the capital of Minorca, one of the Balearic Islands off the east coast of Spain, captured by the French from the British in 1756. Mayonnaise (supposedly originally “sauce mahonnaise,” sauce of Mahon) was, in this tale, created as a tribute to the victorious Louis Francois Armand du Plessy, duc de Richelieu, by his chef. Unfortunately, “mayonnaise” didn’t show up in print in France until nearly 50 years later, which makes this story less than convincing.

The “manier” (”handle”) theory is also possible, but lacks any real evidence. Another theory posits that mayo was invented in the French city of Bayonne and originally known as “Bayonnaise,” a cute story that also lacks evidence. It also possible that the inventor was Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne, who supposedly insisted on finishing his meal of cold chicken and his chef’s “special sauce” before engaging in battle with (and losing to) Henry IV.

I’m as fond of French nobility as the next guy, but if I had to pick a theory it would be the one that ties “mayonnaise” to the old French word “moyeu,” which meant “hub of a wheel” but was also used to mean “the yolk of an egg,” the central ingredient of mayonnaise. It’s not a glamorous theory, but it has the virtue of making perfect sense.

 

 

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