Spicy Mayonnaise

The character of spicy mayonnaise is shaped profoundly by its chosen heat source and the terroir from which that heat is drawn.

Often built on Kewpie-style mayonnaise, enriched with rice vinegar and yolk-heavy richness, it incorporates chili oil or shichimi togarashi. The chili lends a restrained heat, while the citrus peel, sesame and sansho in shichimi add aromatic, citrusy notes.

Here, gochujang, a fermented paste of red chili powder, glutinous rice, fermented soybean and salt, brings depth rather than sharpness. The chili contributes a slow-burning warmth, while the fermented rice and soybean add sweetness and umami.

Using smoke-dried jalapeños from Mexico, this variety expresses terroir through fire and wood. The chilies are harvested ripe, then smoked until leathery, imparting a dusky heat and savory finish.

Across these forms, the emulsion acts as a canvas, translating soil, climate, and traditional processing methods into a unified sensory experience.

The lineage of spicy mayonnaise must be traced through several culinary epochs.

While classical Greece and Rome did not know mayonnaise, Roman cooks combined oil with seasonings such as garum, a fermented fish sauce, and pounded oil, garlic and herbs into pastes such as moretum. These preparations established the principle of fat and seasoning unified into a cohesive whole.

In medieval Europe, aioli and similar garlic-and-oil sauces took hold around the western Mediterranean. The Catalan allioli, recorded in the 14th century, was simply garlic pounded with olive oil and salt, and egg was a later addition. Chili peppers were absent, yet the conceptual marriage of fat and pungency was firmly in place.

Mayonnaise is traditionally dated to the mid-18th century and linked in legend to French cuisine, though it first appears in print only in the early 19th century. The addition of chili heat is a decisively modern gesture, made possible only after the Columbian exchange introduced Capsicum to Europe and Asia. In the 20th century, as globalized fast food and fusion cuisines expanded, spicy mayonnaise became ubiquitous, from American burger chains to the sushi bars of North America and beyond, where the spicy tuna roll popularised it. It stands today as a testament to modernity’s appetite for both comfort and excitement.

Spicy mayonnaise relies on the stability of an oil-in-water emulsion, where lecithin in egg yolk acts as an emulsifier. Capsaicin, the compound responsible for chili heat, is fat-soluble, meaning the oil phase captures and disperses it evenly. This interaction softens the perception of heat, spreading it gradually across the palate rather than delivering a sharp spike.

Responsible sourcing favors eggs from free-range or organic hens (code 1 or 0 on the EU egg stamp) and oils produced with minimal environmental impact, such as certified sustainable rapeseed or sunflower oil. Chili peppers should ideally be sourced from farms practicing fair labor and transparent drying or fermentation methods, as these processes are labor-intensive and culturally significant.