Why Is Japanese Mayonnaise Different?

September 18, 2017

Japanese mayo was the top selling product on Amazon US in 2010. When you think of Japanese condiments, you would think of soy sauce most people automatically think of soy sauce. Mayonnaise is not a Japanese condiment as it is originally from France, but in Japan, mayonnaise is altered and became a common condiment.

If you still have not tried Japanese mayonnaise, you would wonder what would be different from mayo in the UK. Many people find that Japanese mayo is slightly sour, and creamier.  

 

[So, what is the difference? Why does it taste good?] 

Japanese Mayonnaise

  • Uses just yolk.
  • Uses rice (apple) vinegar 
  • No sugar, no water added

Western mayonnaise

  • Uses whole egg
  • Uses Wine vinegar
  • Water and sugar contained
 
As you can see, there are quite a few differences. Using only yolk makes mayonnaise more creamier and richer. Rice vinegar is milder than other vinegars so it is sourer.  Also, the container bottle is made from polyethylene, which keeps out the air so it can keep mayo fresher for longer.  

Japanese mayonnaise actually matches with pretty much any food. The most famous Japanese food that mayonnaise is added to is probably okonomiyaki and takopyaki, but mayonnaise is used for Sushi and Pizza in Japan.

Mayonnaise is also used for more special sauces, mayo-pon is a sauce that is mixed mayonnaise and ponzu. The sauce is often used for chicken dishes like chicken katsu. It is also added to takoyaki tooMayonnaise and ketchup is combined which is called aurora sauce which is used for shrimp, avocado salad.

Some people in Japan put mayo on anything and they are called mayo-ler. They carry their own mayonnaise bottles in their bags. They put mayonnaise on curry to purin (sweets).  It really matches with any food, so you definitely have to try!  






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