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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.
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