Who invented mayonnaise and ketchup?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

There is an opinion that in case of failure in the culinary field, one should not despair too much if there are mayonnaise and ketchup in the refrigerator. After all, with their help, many mistakes can be corrected. How true this statement is is up to you to judge, but there is an indisputable fact: these two sauces are present on dinner tables more than anyone else.

Mayonnaise story

There are three possible answers to the question of who invented mayonnaise. One thing unites them - the events unfolded in the 18th century.

Bread with mayonnaise is yummy

The first story tells about the besieged Spanish city of Mahon and answers the question "in what year mayonnaise was invented", because the actions took place in 1757. At that time, the city was captured by the French under the leadership of the Duke de Richelieu and held the defense against the British. The siege lasted a long time, and the French army faced the problem of starvation, since only two products remained in the arsenal of cooks: olive oil and turkey eggs. No matter how hard we triedcooks to diversify the soldier's menu, they did not succeed well. Then one of the cooks tried to grind the yolks with spices, after which he added olive oil in small doses. The result was an excellent sauce, with which even ordinary bread became an elegant delicacy for warriors. Unfortunately, the one who invented mayonnaise did not leave his name in history. Therefore, the sauce was named not in honor of the cook, but in honor of the besieged city - Mahon, later - just mayonnaise.

Special table decoration

The second story gives a slightly different answer to the question of who invented mayonnaise, but takes us all to the same city of Mahon, but 25 years later. By that time, the Spaniards had captured it. In honor of the victory, the leader of the army, Duke Louis de Crillon, ordered a magnificent celebration. The task for the chefs now was not to come up with something out of nothing, but on the contrary - to provide the table with a twist, a special dish that everyone would remember. In response to his demand, the cooks mixed olive oil with yolks and lemon juice, seasoned with sugar, s alt and red pepper. This is how the exquisite Provence sauce turned out.

This version of who invented mayonnaise is very doubtful and contradictory. Agree, it’s quite difficult on the go, being under the pressure of following an order, to come up with such an original dish without knowing its basic principle. Therefore, there is another story about who invented mayonnaise.

Progenitor of mayonnaise - ali-oli sauce

This version has nothing to do with the Spanish city. According to her,The place where mayonnaise was invented was Southern Europe. Long before the events in Mahon, local residents prepared a spicy mixture of eggs, butter and garlic. They called it "ali-oli", which in Spanish means "oil and garlic." Of course, this garlic sauce is significantly different from the usual mayonnaise, but French chefs could know the principle and successfully use it as a special dish on the ceremonial table. Today, the mass of garlic is known as aioli sauce.

Comparing all three stories, we can draw the only correct conclusions - mayonnaise, in a familiar form in our time, was invented by the French in the 18th century. Until then, no one knew about him. Needless to say, after the appearance of white sauce, the recipe for its preparation was kept in strict confidence. Because without knowledge of special technical secrets, it is impossible to prepare mayonnaise. Accordingly, the price for this product was quite high.

Famous Olivier

In the 19th century, French-born culinary specialist Lucien Olivier opened the Hermitage restaurant in Moscow. Monsieur came from a well-known French dynasty of chefs who contributed to the preparation of maon sauce. In particular, they began to add mustard to it. This little nuance greatly simplified the cooking process and extended the shelf life, since mustard is a natural emulsifier. Due to the piquant spicy taste, the sauce was given its own name - "Provencal", or Provencal.

Ownermayonnaise secrets Lucien Olivier made a great contribution to the development of the traditions of Russian cuisine. His most famous invention was a winter salad, which was later given the name of the chef - Olivier. It is difficult to imagine the Russian New Year even in the 21st century without this salad on the table. During its formation, it has become a real tradition of the nation, although the recipe familiar to every housewife is significantly different from that admired by the inhabitants of Moscow in the 19th century. Unfortunately, the restaurateur Lucien was categorical and kept the secret of cooking under lock and key until his death. No matter how hard the then competitors tried to recreate his creation (after all, almost all the ingredients were known), they did not succeed in repeating the masterpiece exactly. The original recipe went with its author to the grave.

Tomato sauce

Besides mayonnaise, there is another sauce no less known to everyone. If to some extent we have answered the question of who invented mayonnaise, things are somewhat different with ketchup. The most likely version is that it was brought to Europe in the 17th century by British sailors who came from China. True, the then ketchup did not much resemble the tomato mixture that is popular today. It included anchovies, mushrooms, spices, soybeans, but tomatoes were not even close to the ingredients necessary for cooking. Tomatoes began to be added to the composition only in 1830.

The most popular ketchup has become in the US. Americans still treat this sauce in a special way. Statistics show that almost 97% of the inhabitants of this countrydo not do without ketchup at the dinner table. They add it to almost every possible dish.

Ketchup gained fame due to the content of a powerful antioxidant lycopene in tomatoes, which is able to fight free radicals, which means it prolongs youth. In addition, its constant use can prevent the occurrence of cancer. Studies have shown that lycopene is better absorbed by the body not in its raw form, but in processed form. This is why Americans prefer ketchup over fresh tomatoes.

Tips for purchasing sauces

Any dish is most he althy and delicious when it is made from quality ingredients and served fresh right away. Mayonnaise and ketchup are no exception to this rule. Today, on various culinary portals, you can find a large number of recipes for preparing these sauces, which will help to harmoniously emphasize the tastes of many dishes, both festive and everyday feasts.