Mayonnaise: the eventful history of Belgium's favourite sauce
In Belgium, mayonnaise is more than a condiment at the edge of a plate. It accompanies chips, forms the base of countless sauces and belongs to the everyday language of the frituur. Yet its history is much less clear than its colour.
The famous version placing its birth in Port Mahon, in the Balearics, after an 18th-century French victory is appealing, but historians do not regard it as conclusively proven. Other theories point to Bayonne, the verb manier, ‘to handle’, or the old word moyeu, meaning egg yolk.
An origin still debated
The word mayonnaise is recorded in the early 19th century, notably in 1806. Recipes from that period do not always match the cold emulsion we know today exactly. In 1815, the cook Antonin Carême described an egg-yolk-and-oil preparation more clearly. History therefore shows gradual development rather than a sudden invention whose place and author can be named without debate.
That uncertainty has become mayonnaise's best anecdote: one of Europe's most familiar sauces has several possible birth certificates, and none has managed to silence the others.
The little miracle of emulsification
Mayonnaise brings together ingredients that naturally separate: oil and a watery phase acidified with vinegar or lemon. Egg yolk contains emulsifying molecules, notably lecithin, which allow oil to disperse into very fine droplets. Adding oil gradually while whisking builds a stable, smooth, thick sauce.
It is a seemingly simple technique that reveals culinary skill: ingredient temperature, speed of incorporation and the balance between fat, acidity and seasoning completely change the result.
Why Belgium adopted it
Its meeting with chips is obviously central. Cold, tangy, velvety mayonnaise contrasts perfectly with a hot, crisp, salty chip. Belgian chip shops then developed a whole landscape of related or derivative sauces: cocktail, andalouse, tartare, américaine and many others.
Mayonnaise also appears with eggs, in potato salads, tuna preparations, peaches with tuna and several cold plates. It connects family cooking, brasseries and snack bars.
Mayonnaise defined by law
Belgium takes mayonnaise seriously even in legislation. The Royal Decree of 26 May 2016 defines it as an emulsion containing, among other things, vegetable oil, a watery phase acidified with vinegar and egg yolk. It must contain at least 70% fat and 5% technically pure egg yolk.
The designation ‘traditional’ is more demanding still: at least 80% fat and 7.5% egg yolk. This precision protects the name while leaving room for clearly identified lower-fat versions.
What do consumption figures show?
The latest Belgian food consumption survey does not provide a national figure cleanly separating mayonnaise from all other sauces. Sciensano measures sauces, condiments and spices together: average consumption is 31 grams a day. Tomato sauces, dressings and mayonnaise-based sauces, and other sauces account for comparable proportions.
Men consume more of this category than women, and adults aged 18 to 39 record the highest level. Overall consumption is similar in Flanders and Wallonia, but mayonnaise-based spreads and some other sauces are more prominent in Flanders, while tomato sauces account for more in Wallonia. It would therefore be misleading to present the 31 grams as pure mayonnaise.
A sauce that became everyday heritage
Industrially produced or whisked by hand, very firm or more supple, mayonnaise sparks Belgian discussions almost as passionate as those about chips themselves. That is precisely the sign of its importance: it belongs not only to a recipe, but to a convivial, everyday and deeply rooted way of eating.
Sources
University of Liège — The origins of mayonnaise: https://www.recherche.uliege.be/cms/c_10547150/fr/les-grands-mythes-de-la-gastronomie-aux-origines-de-la-mayonnaise
Sciensano — Sauces, condiments and spices: https://www.sciensano.be/fr/resultats-de-lenquete-nationale-de-consommation-alimentaire-2022-2023/consommation-alimentaire/sauces-condiments-et-epices-0
Royal Decree of 26 May 2016: https://refli.be/fr/lex/2016011248
