Dijonnaise: A Melding of History

Some people have never heard of Dijonnaise. It's a rather recent invention. As the name implies, it is a blend of Dijon mustard and mayonnaise. To understand this condiment, a look must be taken at the history of its parent condiments.

Mayonnaise has its roots in French cuisine. After winning a great battle over the British in 1756, a great feast was had. Unfortunately the cook was out of cream so he mixed olive oil with the raw eggs. Thus, mayo was born. There is a lot of speculation on where the name came from, but there is no consensus.

It was used as a dressing but didn't become popular in the United States in the early 1900s. In 1905 Richard Hellmann, a German immigrant, opened a deli in New York. He dressed each sandwich with his wife's mayonnaise. This dressing became so popular that he started selling it separately.

Mustard is the oldest of our condiments. For over 3,000 years the Chinese have used mustard. Egyptians used to pop mustard seeds in their mouth while eating meat. Mustard is made by grinding up mustard seeds and mixing it with oil and vinegar.

In the 13th century France began creating Dijon mustard. Dijon is a specific region of France. Dijon mustard is made with white wine. There are very specific standards for Dijon mustard and mustard can be called Dijon even when not made in France. (And Grey Poupon is a company formed in the 1700s by two men Mr. Grey and Mr. Poupon. I shit you not.)

In 1992, Hellmann's introduce Dijonnaise to its condiments list. They refer to it as a creamy mustard blend. This melding of two condiments graces the sandwiches of Americans, but it is unknown how many people truly enjoy this product. It appears to be marketed only by Hellmann's (the original mayonnaise people).

Sources:
Foodnotes
About Mustard
The Honey Dijon Mustard Website
www.Hellmanns.com
Wikipedia.org