Mayonnaise Variations: Aioli, Tartar Sauce, Remoulade

Not yet written for this entry.

Three classical derivatives of the emulsified egg-and-oil sauce technique (Entry 15), each occupying its own position in the classical condiment repertoire. Aioli: a garlic mayonnaise of Provence, made by pounding raw garlic in a mortar before the oil is incorporated — not garlic-flavoured mayonnaise (which is a short-cut) but a preparation in which the garlic is the primary flavour and the emulsification happens with the garlic paste as the base. Tartare: mayonnaise enriched with hard-boiled egg yolk, capers, cornichons, and fine herbs — similar to gribiche (Entry 69) but using raw yolk as the emulsification base. Rémoulade: tartare base with the addition of anchovy and Dijon mustard — the sauce that accompanies celeriac rémoulade, the most universal of the classical bistro preparations.

Aioli's flavour is dominated by allicin — the primary aromatic compound in raw garlic, produced by the enzymatic reaction when garlic cells are crushed. As Segnit notes, garlic and olive oil is among the most documented of all chemical pairings: the olive oil's oleic acid emulsifies and carries the garlic's fat-soluble aromatic compounds while the allicin reacts with the oil's own aromatic phenols to produce a combined aromatic depth greater than either separate. Anchovy in rémoulade provides inosinic acid — a nucleotide that amplifies glutamate perception — stacking umami on the already savoury mustard and egg base.