DisputedOrigin is disputed
mayonnaise
noun · first attested 19th century
One story ties the sauce to Mahón. Many etymologists are not convinced.
A thick, cold sauce of oil beaten with egg yolk.
Record
- Relationship
- Origin is disputed
- Confidence
- DisputedCompeting explanations remain live.
- Attested
- 19th century
- Part of speech
- noun
Explanations here are written for this atlas. Dictionary text is not copied; the sources are linked so the claim can be checked.
- Step 1
Mahón
- In English
mayonnaise
A popular account derives mayonnaise from Mahón on Menorca, taken by the French in 1756. Other scholars look to French moyeu, “egg yolk,” or to a variant of bayonnaise. The place link remains contested.
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