Definition: mayonnaise

A cold sauce made from egg yolk and oil emulsified together, to which salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar are added. The etymological origin of this sauce is unclear, but the most likely explanation is that "mayonnaise" comes from the word "moyeu", which in Old French means egg yolk. The original name would therefore be "moyeunaise". Some claim, on the contrary, that it was a speciality of the city of Bayonne, hence the name "bayonnaise", which was later distorted into "mayonnaise".Others attribute it to the Duke of Richelieu, who, having taken Port-Mahon, named this sauce, invented by himself or his cook, "mahonnaise". The great Carême claims that it comes from "magnonaise", which in turn comes from the word "manier" (to handle).