MAYONNAISE: WHO INVENTED IT, WHERE IT CAME FROM AND WHY IT'S CALLED SO - Zanichelli Meccanica (2024)

If you missed the first episode, no problem, here’s a very brief summary.

This column, with a rockstar title, “ZACMI Worldwide Tour,” was conceived from the need to tell, through the eyes of our specialized travelling technicians, the first installation, assistance, and on-site support services that we provide to those who purchase machinery from us.

We decided to do it in a somewhat unique way, but we believe it’s an interesting approach: we set aside technicalities and delve into the culture of the F&B sector, which we’ve been helping develop for over 70 years with the best technologies and the most cutting-edge machinery.

We stand by our customers all over the world, with personalized and on-site assistance, and today, we bring you to know a product that is packaged thanks to one of our machines: mayonnaise.

The cover photo was taken directly by our technician while he was at the customer’s production site and depicts paper-plastic containers into which the much-appreciated egg-based dressing will be poured.

We don’t want to pat ourselves on the back too much, but it’s only fair to be clear and tell you how things are: among numerous suppliers from around the world, the company (a large multinational that, for privacy reasons, we cannot name) chose us because we were able to solve logistical and operational problems that no one else had been able to satisfactorily resolve.

Specifically, it involved creating, ad hoc, a monoblock system that would fill containers like those in the photo but larger, with a capacity of 4 kg.

We are happy to have found the best solution, just as we are happy to be able to tell you the story of the product that will fill these containers: precisely, mayonnaise.

None of this would have been possible without our skilled and specialized travelling technicians, able to provide support at any time.

The story of mayonnaise, one of the most popular accompaniments in the world, loved for its creamy texture and delicate flavour, is shrouded in mystery, and its origin is claimed by multiple nations.

The most popular theory attributes its birth to Mahon, in the Balearic Islands, in 1756. During the French siege, the Duke of Richelieu allegedly requested his chef to create a sauce with the few ingredients available. From “Mahon” to “Mahonnaise” (sauce made in Mahon), the step was very short.

During the siege, food supplies were scarce, and the chef, having run out of all the ingredients for traditional sauces, improvised a new sauce using only eggs and oil, thus giving rise to one of the most popular products in the world.

However, other scholars point to Alicante, Spain, as its true origin. Here, a similar sauce called “aioli” (based on garlic, oil and eggs) was already widespread long before 1756.

Finally, according to some, mayonnaise would derive from a sauce called “salsa genovese”, based on egg yolk, oil, vinegar, and capers, widespread in Italy as early as the 15th century.

Regardless of its origins (we leave it to you to choose the hypothesis that most fascinates you, without forgetting that they could all be true because no single option excludes the other), the recipe for mayonnaise spread rapidly throughout Europe, gaining the fame that still distinguishes it today.

The traditional formulation, as we know it today, was perfected and popularized in the 19th century.

In 1806, the French chef Marie-Antoine Carême added acetic acid to the recipe, which allowed mayonnaise to last longer without spoiling.

Furthermore, in 1905, the chef Richard Hellmann, who ran a delicatessen in New York, began packaging mayonnaise in jars for retail sale, thus helping to spread its use in the United States.

Mayonnaise has continued to evolve over time, with the introduction of variants such as light and vegan mayonnaise (without eggs, of course), to meet modern dietary needs.

Today, mayonnaise is an essential condiment in many kitchens around the world, used to accompany a wide range of dishes, from salads to sandwiches and much more. Its history is testimonial to human culinary creativity and the ability to transform simple ingredients into something extraordinary.

But it doesn’t end here.

It happens to everyone who tries to make it at home (and it must have happened at least once to you too): for sometimes unfathomable reasons, mayonnaise doesn’t emulsify and, so they say, it curdles (in Italy we say it goes crazy or mad), forcing us to throw everything away.

Obviously, this doesn’t happen in large-scale industrial production, and the quality, hygiene, cleanliness and precision with which ZACMI machinery helps fill containers with this product that will end up on the market, are 100% guaranteed.

Our piston fillers, among other features, are equipped with a “No can-No fill” system that prevents product waste, as well as being designed to achieve the highest levels of hygiene, cleanliness and ease of maintenance. But that’s another story, and you can discover it in this section of the website.

Returning to the “crazy” mayonnaise, however, it’s interesting to immerge ourselves (and fantasize a bit) in the legends that accompany the formation of this phenomenon, that is essentially an unstable emulsion of oil and water, which, instead of blending, separate due to various factors, forming a lumpy and very unappetizing substance.

The story (spiced with inexhaustible human imagination) tells us, however, that it’s not errors in processing temperatures, ingredient quantities, imperfect emulsion, and so on, that create this unpleasant result, but much more enigmatic motivations. Let’s see the 2 most curious ones.

The Witch’s Curse:

According to a popular legend, mayonnaise separates because of a curse cast by a jealous witch. It is said that a witch, envious of the success of a cook who had managed to prepare the perfect mayonnaise, cast a curse that would make his sauce break forever. From that day on, it is said that mayonnaise “goes mad” whenever someone tries to prepare it arrogantly or without due respect for the recipe.

The Wrath of the Gods:

Another legend tells that mayonnaise separates to appease the wrath of the gods. It was believed that the gods were jealous of the pleasure humans derived from eating mayonnaise (even superior to the pleasure given by ambrosia, the famous divine nectar), and so they punished those who made it by making it curdle. To ward off this event and avoid their wrath, it was necessary to follow precise rituals during the preparation of mayonnaise, such as reciting prayers or offering sacrifices.

The truth is that the process of making mayonnaise is not very simple, and there are multiple factors to consider, from the quality of the ingredients to their temperature, from the proportions to the emulsification technique.

So the next time you try to make mayonnaise at home (and it separates), don’t blame witches or the gods.

Or rely on a product packaged with a ZACMI machine, installed and maintained thanks to our technicians who, on a daily basis, assist the major brands within production chains, maximizing efficiency and product quality.

By doing so, you’ll have the best you could wish for without… going crazy!