Aioli

 

Aioli is a garlic, salt, olive oil, and sometimes egg-based sauce that may be found in the cuisines of the northwest Mediterranean, from Andalusia to Calabria.

In Catalan, Provençal, and Italian, the names signify "garlic and oil." It may be found in the cuisines of Spain, France, and Italy, as well as Malta's Mediterranean beaches. It's also known in the Middle East as "Toom," which translates to "garlic." It's produced by blending garlic cloves and emulsifying them with oil to form a creamy, mayonnaise-like mixture. It's often accompanied with rotisserie chicken.

Some forms of the sauce are more like to a garlic mayonnaise, including egg yolks and lemon juice, while others are thinner and include more garlic. There are several variants, including the addition of lemon juice or other ingredients. It may include mustard in France. It's best to eat it at room temperature. Aioli, like mayonnaise, is made up of minute globules of oil and oil-soluble components suspended in water and water-soluble compounds. Purists in Spain feel that aioli should not include egg, whereas egg or egg yolk is the most common emulsifier in France and elsewhere.

All flavored mayonnaises have been referred to as aioli in the United States since about 1990. Although purists argue that flavored mayonnaise may include garlic, real aioli comprises just garlic and no other seasonings.