Condiment
Mayonnaise
Also called mayo, Japanese mayo
An emulsion of oil in egg yolk, loosened with acid — the jar behind smash-burger sauce, corn cheese, okonomiyaki drizzle and a Korean egg sandwich. Kewpie is a Japanese-style mayo: more yolk, a little MSG, a squeeze bottle.
Origin
A European emulsion, now a global jar. Japanese mayo is a twentieth-century remix that East Asian café food adopted hard.
Flavour
Fatty, tangy, sometimes slightly sweet. Kewpie is louder in umami. Cheap mayo tastes of soybean oil. Split mayo is oil with sad curds.
How it is made
Yolk lecithin holds a slow stream of oil with vinegar or lemon. Factory mayo uses pasteurised egg and gums. Olive-oil-only mayo can taste bitter.
How to use it
A binder for corn cheese and sandwiches, a sauce over grilled things. Thin with lemon or pickle brine, not more oil. Mixing mayo into a roaring pan splits it — take okonomiyaki or a burger off the heat if you want a white drizzle. Aioli is mayo plus garlic. Yoghurt can lighten it; it will not fry the same.
Storage
Fridge after opening. Homemade mayo is a few days; the jar is weeks. If the oil has broken into a slick, it is done.
Recipes using it
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