Mayonnaise
In the past there have been many speculations about the origins of the name of mayonnaise, one of the most important French culinary inventions ever made. But the question is where it was inveted and by whom. Many people in history have tried to claim the honor, but the mistery still remains unsolved. Some speculate that the sauce was named after Charles of Lorraine, Duc de Mayenne, an area in the Northwest of France. It sounds credible, moreover since it’s in France, but it’s not what I believe...
I’m convinced that Mayonnaise comes from the Island of Menorca. Eventhough the inhabitants of the island haven’t quite figured out themselves how it was invented or who did it, the mere number of different legends is enough evidence to me that mayonnaise was born in Maó, the capital of the second largest Balearic. The most generally accepted story is that it was the French chef of the Duc de Richelieu in 1756 who created it to celebrate the French military victory over the British port of Mao. In French this town is called „Mahón“, so a sauce from Mahon would then be a „sauce Mahónnaise“ which was soon transformed into Mayonnaise. Others say it was a Menorcan peasant woman dressing a salad for another French genereal in Mahón or a Menorcan housekeeper disguising rancid meat from the taste buds of a French officer.
I suppose this case will always remain a secret, but if this story has awoken your interest in getting to know more about it, why don’t you come and visit Menorca, book a Menorca hotel or stay in an accommodation in Mao where you might be the one unraveling the mystery of mayonnaise.