I make a garlic infused olive oil that makes great mayonnaise. I’m tempted to try my serrano pepper oil but I’m a little hesitant because I’m not sure how the heat will affect the mayonnaise.
That’s it! Dijon mustard! I really dislike Dijon mustard, and that is exactly the flavour I recall. Thank you.
Are you sure about the olive oil bit? Most of the French recipe books I remember reading had either olive oil or a 50-50 mix of olive and neutral oil in the recipe. The few Frenchie friends I have make it with olive oil, as well.
For what it’s worth, my forty year old New York Times cookbook cites 1/2 olive oil, 1/2 salad oil.
I just got back from 4 months in Bordeaux, and maybe it was all the wine I drank, but the Mayo seemed just fine - except for the fact it came in tubes like toothpaste…
Then again I think I was the only person in France buying the stuff… Most of the supermarket was filled with different wines and cheeses… Not that I’m complaining!
Do that search. As a kid, we always had Miracle Whip, and we always called it Mayonaise. I never even noticed anything amiss with this til quite late–I want to say maybe when I was in fourth or fifth grade?
Miracle Whip was what we put on sandwiches, in tuna, in egg salad, etc.
I probably could tell the difference between the two now if I bought a jar of each and did a couple of “practice runs.” But I’ve never really concerned myself with the distinction (nowadays it’s very rare that I have either one anyway) so I don’t think I could tell you which was which just right off the bat.
-FrL-
Do that search. As a kid, we always had Miracle Whip, and we always called it Mayonaise. I never even noticed anything amiss with this til quite late–I want to say maybe when I was in fourth or fifth grade?
Miracle Whip was what we put on sandwiches, in tuna, in egg salad, etc.
I probably could tell the difference between the two now if I bought a jar of each and did a couple of “practice runs.” But I’ve never really concerned myself with the distinction (nowadays it’s very rare that I have either one anyway) so I don’t think I could tell you which was which just right off the bat.
-FrL-
For weight and medical reasons, I don’t use mayonnaise at all, but do use Miracle Whip in anything that would call for mayo, even tuna and chicken, no problems. Why would one not use it with them?
Taste.
Because it’s closer to real mayo. The stuff I got in the US was to mayo like Kraft slices are to Manchego…
And if you got it in somebody’s house it may even have been real mayo! (made right before use from egg, olive oil and a pinch of salt).
Mayo and alliolli are both Spanish inventions. Mahonesa: (sauce) from the isle of Mahon. Alliolli, lit. oil-and-garlic, has no egg and has a bit of garlic. Garlic mayo has both the garlic and the egg (but no salt). No vinegar. And the oil should be olive of course 
The jarred stuff is handy if you’re making one sandwich.
The origins of mayonnaise are actually quite debated. The Mahon origin story usually goes that it wasn’t the Spanish inventing it, but the French chef substituting oil for cream in a sauce made for the victory dinner, when the French recaptured the port.
Another story has “mayonnaise” deriving from manier the French verb “to stir.” Another one has the root in the French moyeu, or “egg yolk.”
I am not aware of any story crediting the Spanish with the invention of mayonnaise. It’s possible, I suppose, but the culinary history of the oil and egg emulsion goes back to France from all sources that I’m familiar with.
I was in my 20’s when I discovered the difference. I hated mayonnaise until I had the real stuff at a girl friend’s. 
In Spain the invention of Mahonesa is generally credited with taking place in Mahon, while it was in English hands, and being a variation on alliolli (properly spelled in Catalan, all-i-oli). So what origin would you have for all-i-oli, which the French spell correctly although they don’t call garlic “all” nor oil “oli”?
To make things more fun, Catalan is also spoken in Provence (SE France), but no, it’s not the same as Langue-d’Oc.
So if the Spanish invented mayonnaise, why did they spell it with a French suffix (“-aise”) ? If we are going strictly by linguistic construction, the Spanish invented Aioli, and the French invented Mayonnaise.
We call it Mahonesa, d’oh. Which is the Spanish word for “something female coming from Mahon” (sauce is a female word). Women from Mahón are mahonesas, female dogs from Mahón are mahonesas, and the sauce from Mahón is mahonesa.
I really hope you just need more coffee and not an explanation about the existence of more than one language in this world!
My point exactly. Just because the French borrowed the Catalan spelling of “allioli” does not support the origin of “mayonnaise”. As has already been pointed out, there are other plausible and linguistically consistent explanations for a French origin.
True. And I do keep a jar in the fridge, for that reason. And for Mr. Athena, who sometimes wants a quick mayo fix.
Never Miracle Whip, though. That stuff is nasty!
I was raised on Miracle Whip, but have since converted to a mayo user. However, I still have a soft spot for Velveeta and Miracle Whip sammiches, a staple for those of us who grew up in the 50’s and 60’s.
After a lifetime of exposure to the products, I find Kraft Miracle Whip and Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise entirely indistinguishable. I would put either on any of the preparations you mention and not notice the difference.