What is "aioli"

aioli \aioli\ n. (Cooking) a French garlic-flavored mayonnaise. It is often served with fish and other seafood, and sometimes with vegetables.

Syn: aioli sauce, garlic sauce

n. A type of sauce made from garlic, egg, lemon juice and olive oil. Similar to mayonnaise

n. garlic mayonnaise [syn: aioli sauce, garlic sauce]

Aioli or aïoli ( or ; Provençal or aiòli ) is a Mediterranean sauce made of garlic and olive oil and, in some regions other emulsifiers such as egg. The sauce's names mean "oil and garlic" in Catalan and Provençal. It is particularly associated with the cuisines of the Mediterranean coasts of Spain (Valencia, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Murcia and eastern Andalusia), France (Provence), and Italy (Liguria). Current versions of the French-Provençal sauce are typically closer to a garlic mayonnaise incorporating also egg yolks, and lemon juice, whereas the original French Provencal and Spanish Catalan versions are without egg yolk and have considerably more garlic. This gives the sauce a more pasty texture, while making it considerably more laborious to make as the emulsion is much harder to stabilize. There are many variations, such as adding lemon juice or other seasonings. In France it can include mustard. It is usually served at room temperature.

Aioli is, like mayonnaise, an emulsion or suspension of small globules of oil and oil-soluble compounds in water and water-soluble compounds. In Spain, purists consider that the absence of egg is what distinguishes aioli from mayonnaise, however this is not the case in France and other countries where egg and egg yolk can be used as an emulsifier and is generally used in making aioli today. Using only garlic as an emulsifier requires it to be thoroughly crushed and for oil to be added drop by drop so that the aioli is not "cut" by excess oil.

Since the late 1980s, it has become fashionable to call all flavored mayonnaises "aioli", with flavorings such as saffron, chili. However, purists insist that "flavored mayonnaise can contain garlic, but true aïoli contains no seasoning but garlic".