You don’t know mayonnaise like I do…
Before you jump in and call me crazy, remember that I was born in Vietnam. This explains a few things:
- Vietnamese cuisine is greatly influenced by French cuisine.
- The cost of imported food is high. It is always cheaper to make it fresh.
So what does that have to do with mayonnaise? Two things:
- We learned how to make fresh mayonnaise from the French.
- We could not afford mayonnaise in a jar. So most of the mayonnaise we consumed, especially in our favorite bánh mì, was fresh mayonnaise.
When I tasted mayonnaise from a jar for the first time, I loved it. I loved it on my hamburgers, salad, omelette, and even my stir-fry macaroni (I know it sounds odd, but it was delicious!). I was always thrilled when my parents made a little extra money that month and decided we could spend it on some imported food. We treasured every bit of our mayonnaise from a jar. It was common knowledge to use as little mayonnaise as possible, only enough to get a taste, so it would last longer. In the end, anything we could not get out with a spoon would be used to make salad dressing.
When I was a teenager, the economy got a little better. We ended up with a much more diverse market. Besides the Western commercial mayonnaise, we had Japanese Kewpie, Mayonnaise Lisa, and Aji-mayo, which has become very popular. Japanese Kewpie was invented in 1925 by Tochiro Nakashima. It has a sweeter taste and softer consistency compared to Western mayonnaise. Japanese Kewpie is widely used for Japanese treats and salads. Mayonnaise Lisa and Aji-mayo were created by Ajinomoto, a large company specialized in spices and sauces in Asia. They developed a line of mayonnaise that fit the taste and budget of most consumers in Vietnam. Ajinomoto later launched a sweeter version of Aji-mayo to compete with Kewpie. The commercial mayonnaise market in Vietnam had never been bigger and more affordable.
However, in the end, I found myself walking away from all the commercial mayonnaise. There is only one kind of mayonnaise I have set my heart for. One that I have set apart from all the commercial products. It is the fresh mayonnaise that is widely used for bánh mì. While commercial mayonnaise contains many different chemicals and additives, fresh mayonnaise is simply made of eggs, oil, and spices. It is the technique that counts in turning the simplest ingredients into a creamy mixture that make bánh mì tastes so good.
Surprisingly enough, fresh mayonnaise tastes and feels completely different from its commercialized version. For our traditional bánh mì, we use the most basic recipe and enhance the taste by using butter alongside canola oil. The result of this combination is a smooth, creamy mayonnaise with the richness of fresh eggs and butter. I can hardly recall a time that I have ordered a bánh mì in Vietnam without requesting extra mayonnaise, which most vendors simply call “sốt" or “bơ".
Even if you are still a fan of commercial mayonnaise, you should give fresh mayonnaise a try. Perhaps you will find that you prefer it over commercial mayonnaise, or you will find yourself a second favorite sauce. Or maybe stop in The Bánh Mì Shop to try it on your bánh mì. No other sauce will make a cold cuts or shredded chicken bánh mì taste better, we promise!
