|
The Mediterranean island of Minorca which is now a Spanish
possession has an interesting history of conquest and ownership. One of
the first conquerors of the island was Hannibal who named the capital city
after his brother Mago pronounced "ma-ho"). The city later became known as
Port Mahon. There is some debate
over what the correct spelling of the city's name in English should be;
due to the general tendency in English to ignore accents in foreign words,
many dictionaries refer to the city by an adaptation (Mahon) of its
Spanish name (Mahón), while many other sources vouch for using the
Catalan spelling (Maó) in English-language publications.
In 1756 when Minorca was
under British control, the French landed 15,000 troops in Port Mahon under
the leadership of the infamous Duc de Richelieu. Port Mahon had a British
garrison of 3000 men, but the principal protection of the island was the
responsibility of Admiral John Bang who commanded a fleet of thirteen
British ships in the Mediterranean. Because of a major tactical error by
Bang, the British fleet was decimated and Minorca surrendered on May 28th. Bang returned to Gibraltar where he was tried by
court-martial for incompetence and subsequently
shot, a form of indictment and punishment which unfortunately has gone
out of vogue. In commenting about the trial in Candide,
Voltaire wrote: "The British shoot an admiral every so often pour
encouragerles autres" (to encourage the others).
The invasion of Port Mahon on April 19th was so successful
that the French didn't suffer a single fatality. The Duc de Richelieu was
ecstatic at his initial success and requested his chef to create a special
meal to celebrate the success of the invasion. A dinner of fresh seafood
was served which was bound by a special dressing created by the chef. The
dressing, named after Port Mahon, was called mayonnaise.
The use of mayonnaise as a dressing and as an ingredient
for sauces spread quickly throughout France after the Duc de Richelieu's
successful return to France where he dramatized and elaborated the story
of how mayonnaise was invented under his inspiration. As with many basic
recipes, each region of France began to develop its own variation of
mayonnaise or mayonnaise-based sauces.
Two of the most famous variations on the original
mayonnaise theme are Sauce Aioli (garlic mayonnaise) from Provence
and Bayonnaise (pimento and cognac mayonnaise) from Bayonne.
Aioli also refers to one of the most famous dishes from Provence which
involves either a poached or salted cod surrounded by a variety of
vegetable and hard-boiled eggs served with the Sauce Aioli. Bayonnaise became so popular in the nineteenth century that there
was a movement among some French food writers to make Bayonnaise the
generic term for mayonnaise. Bayonnaise, served either hot or cold,
is one of the most popular dressings for poached fish and shellfish.
In French culinary jargon, whenever the word "mayonnaise"
is used in conjunction with a cold meat, fish, or shellfish, such as
Mayonnaise de poissons (a mayonnaise of fish),
Mayonnaise de vollaille (a mayonnaise of poultry), or
Mayonnaise de homard (a mayonnaise of lobster), the terms refer to a
cold meat, fish, shellfish, or poultry, covered with mayonnaise, and
usually garnished with lettuce hearts, hard boiled eggs, capers, olives,
and occasionally anchovy fillets.
The quality, consistency, and taste of a mayonnaise depends
on the type and quality of oil used. When you use an olive oil. the
consistency will be more oily and the flavor may be too strong for a
delicately flavored dish. When you want a more delicately flavored
mayonnaise, use peanut oil. For salad dressings and cold meats, use half
peanut oil and half olive oil. Use only olive oil for the more robust
types of mayonnaise or mayonnaise-based sauces such as Sauce Aoili
(garlic mayonnaise)
or Sauce Callioure (anchovy mayonnaise).
Another key factor in a successful mayonnaise is the
temperature of the ingredients. All ingredients (eggs, lemon juice.
mustard and other flavorings such as garlic, dill, etc) must be at room
temperature. Never use ingredients directly from the refrigerator. The
thickness of the mayonnaise is dependent on the amount of egg yolk used.
If you want a thicker mayonnaise, use less egg yolk. For a thinner
mayonnaise, use more yolk.
Either lemon juice or vinegar can be used in making a mayonnaise,
depending on your personal preference and on the specific type of
mayonnaise being made. I prefer lemon juice in the basic mayonnaise and in
any of the special mayonnaises designed as an accompaniment to fish such
as a mustard mayonnaise. Some of the stronger types of mayonnaise such as
Sauce Aioli require a more pungent vinegar and some of the fruit
flavored mayonnaises require fruit-flavored vinegars.
|
