Mayonnaise

In cooking, mayonnaise is a thick, creamy sauce, usually of a white or light yellow color, which is made and eaten cold. It is a stable emulsion of vegetable oil dispersed in egg yolk, flavored with vinegar or lemon juice (which helps the emulsion) and frequently mustard. Other seasonings call for other names (see below).

Mayonnaise is one of the mother sauces of classic French cooking, so it is the base for many other chilled sauces and salad dressings. For example:

- Aioli is olive oil mayonnaise combined with garlic.

- Tartare sauce is mayonnaise spiced with capers and chunks of pickles.

- Russian dressing is mayonnaise with tomato sauce or ketchup added.

- Thousand Island dressing is Russian dressing with pickles and herbs.

Mayonnaise is commonly used as sandwich spread in North America; on French fries in northern Europe and parts of Canada; and on cold chicken or hard-boiled eggs in France.