Hey, parents.
Trusty here.
You know what I hear constantly from homeschool parents in the Whosmarted community?
Thank you for introducing us to IXL.
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Who's Smarted?
Listeners get an exclusive 20 off when they sign up today at wwwixlcom slash smarted.
That's ixl.com slash smarted.
And now it's time for Who's Smarted.
Mayo, mayo, sandwich come and I want to eat now.
Come on, come on.
I know there's a little left in the bottom.
I don't need much.
Just a little more to add some flavor and make this dry turkey sandwich moist.
Ah, there we go.
I'll just smear it around and, hmm, actually, it could use just a bit more.
Come on, one more big squeeze.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I think that's enough squeezing.
Yeah, hi, I've given you all the mayo I've got to give.
Ooh, geez louise.
Yikes, um, I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was bothering you.
Um, talking mayonnaise bottle?
Excuse me.
The name's May.
May the Mayo Bottle?
Yeah, that's right.
Now, if you could just put me down before you sprain a wrist squeezing so hard.
Good idea.
By the way, I'm the trusty narrator, and you're actually on my podcast, like, right now.
What?
Me?
I am?
Oh, I'm going to be the most famous mayonnaise bottle ever.
Okay, so what's the podcast about?
Well, it was going to be about dry turkey sandwiches, but now I'm thinking it should be about mayonnaise.
Nice try.
Don't placate me, narrator.
What?
No, I'm not placating you at all.
By the way, smarty pants.
Placating is when someone tells you something they think you want to hear, which I'm not doing at all.
In fact, I love mayo.
I put it on everything you'd expect mayo to go on and some things people give me funny looks for.
But seriously, I have lots of mayo questions you could clear up because...
Well, because you're a mayonnaise bottle.
Oh, gotcha, gotcha.
Okay, just like mayonnaise can bring a dry, tasteless turkey sandwich to life, I May the Mayo Bottle will bring this dry, tasteless podcast to life.
Ayo!
Well, I wouldn't exactly say who's smart it is dry and tasteless.
Oh, then I guess you don't need me.
I'll just head on over to the recycling bin.
Toodles!
Wait, wait!
On behalf of the Smarty Pants and I, please stay and answer our mayo-related questions.
Such as?
Well, for one thing, what's in mayonnaise?
Who invented it?
What makes it so tasty?
And do people eat it all over the world or just in some places?
You promise no more squeezing?
Yes, I promise.
I've got a brand new jar in my pantry.
Okay, I'm in.
Sweet.
Get ready for a tasty whiff of Science and History on... Who Smarted?
Who Smarted?
Who's smart?
Is it you?
Is it me?
Is it science or history?
Listen up, everyone.
We make smarting lots of fun on Who's Smart?
All right, May the Mayo Bottle, first things first.
Where does mayo come from?
Oh, boy.
We're starting things off with a very controversial topic.
Uh, we are?
Yeah.
You see, the Spanish claim they invented mayonnaise.
But if you ask the French, they insist it was actually them.
But nobody really knows for sure, which means it probably was a combo of both the Spanish and the French.
But really, where to even begin?
How about the beginning?
Okay, wise guy, huh?
Sure, let's start at the beginning.
Cue the music, maestro.
In 1756, Duke Richelieu of France conquered the Spanish island of Menorca, specifically the town of Mayen on the Spanish island of Menorca.
Rumor has it that when the Duke's chef went to prepare I see.
Smartypants, did you hear what I heard?
Where do you think the word mayonnaise comes from?
A. Mayonne, the name of the town where it was supposedly invented.
B. The word mania, which means handle in French.
Or C. The word mayou, which is an old French word for egg yolk.
What do you think?
I bet most of you said, Mayoon.
It practically sounds like Mayo, right?
Hey, that's a pretty good guess.
But it's actually all three.
Huh?
Or rather, it could be any one of the three.
Huh?
Yeah.
Huh?
See, this is what I'm talking about when I said it's controversial.
The story involving Duke Richelieu conquering Menorca at the Battle of Mayen and his chef accidentally whipping up some mayo is just one theory.
Another theory is that a mayo-like sauce already existed in Spain called salsa mayonesa.
And another theory is the French invented it and it comes from either the French word for handle or that old French word for egg yolk which, of course, is the main ingredient of mayonnaise.
Oh, boy.
That is a lot.
Oh, but wait.
There's more.
Yet another theory suggests mayo was invented in the French town of Bayonne and used to be called mayonnaise.
What?
Yeah, I know.
And mayonnaise was later changed to mayonnaise.
Oh, trusty.
Ah, it's just all too much, huh?
That's okay, Mae.
Calm down.
Take a breath.
I think it's safe to say we can thank the Spanish and the French for giving us mayo.
Absolutely.
Personally?
My money is on Spain for OG mayo.
However, we can definitely thank the French for taking mayo and running with it.
For example, tartar sauce and remoulade are two French sauces that both use mayonnaise as the base.
Gotcha.
Now I know you mentioned egg yolks as a main ingredient of mayonnaise, but what else is in mayonnaise?
And how do you turn yellow, runny egg yolks into the creamy smooth velvety, tangy deliciousness that is mayo?
And let's not forget, mayo holds its shape whether it's cold or room temperature.
And well, I guess what I'm saying is mayonnaise must be made up of lots and lots of different ingredients, right?
Is that what you think?
I don't know.
Smartypants, do you know?
True or false?
Mayonnaise can be made using only three ingredients.
The answer is... True!
Really?
Yes, really.
Mayonnaise in its simplest form is nothing more than oil, eggs and an acid which is generally either lemon juice or vinegar.
Yep, that's it.
That's it?
But if it's just oil, eggs and vinegar, how come it's so fluffy and creamy and tangy and not liquid?
Because of a little something called emulsification.
Oh.
What's that?
Emulsification is a chemical process where two liquids that don't generally mix do mix thanks to a third liquid known as the emulsifier.
For example, when making mayonnaise, the oil and vinegar.
Obviously you know they don't want to mix.
You can see it for yourself if you pour both of them into a bowl.
They remain separate.
But, thanks to the addition of an emulsifier, in this case, eggs, the oil and vinegar are able to stick together.
Wait.
So you're saying, by adding eggs or egg yolks to oil and vinegar, you can get these ingredients who famously don't get along to combine.
Yep, that's what I'm saying.
But how?
It's because egg yolks contain something called lecithin.
Lecithin has molecules similar to those in oil and in vinegar, so it's able to combine those two things that normally wouldn't combine.
The process is called emulsification.
The egg yolks are the emulsifier, and the end result is an emulsion.
And that emulsion is the tangy and delicious condiment known as mayonnaise.
You got it.
Okay, but that still doesn't explain how runny, liquidy yellow egg yolks become a thick, creamy condiment.
Well, that's where this comes in.
Smarty Pants, do you know what that sound is?
If you said a blender, mixer, or food processor, you're right.
You could also just whisk it by hand.
We'll be right back.
But do throw in a pinch of salt while you're at it.
It helps balance the flavors.
Noted.
Hey, smarty pants, true or false?
Even though mayonnaise is so simple, it tastes pretty different depending on where in the world you buy it.
If you said true, you're right.
Wait, how can three ingredients taste that different?
Because different regions use different ingredients.
I just told you the basic mayonnaise, but you can add all kinds of things.
And we'll find out what they are right after this quick break and a word from our sponsors.
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Hey, smarty pants.
Trusty narrator here.
Spring is here, and you know what that means on the farm.
Baby chicks hatching inside their eggs.
Calves moving into their tiny little houses.
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Now back to Who Smarted?
Wow, it really isn't that hard to whisk up some homemade mayo that tastes... Mmm, yum!
Just as good as the store-bought mayo.
Hey!
But also, you're right.
But wait, what other kinds of mayos are there?
Well, mayonnaise makers in the U.S. tend to use whole eggs.
But in Europe, they often just use the yolks, resulting in a different taste.
They may also use different types of vinegar, which changes the taste as well.
Plus, there's salt, sugar.
We'll be right back.
Pretty universally loved all over the world.
Great.
But I am curious, how did it first become popular in the U.S.?
That's a little less tricky to figure out here in the United States.
Commercially available.
Mayonnaise in jars was first introduced in Philadelphia in 1907 by the Schlawler Company.
But just a few years later, somebody else started making and selling mayonnaise in New York City.
And that's when it got really big.
And really popular.
That somebody was a guy named Richard Hellman.
Richard Hellman.
Hellman.
Smarty Pants, does that name ring any bells?
Why, of course.
Hellman's Brand Mayonnaise.
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.
You got it.
Richard Hellman came to New York City from Germany, where he met and married a woman named Margaret.
Together, Richard and Margaret, opened a deli called Hellman's Delicatessen in 1913, where they made and sold their very own mayo.
It became huge.
It was so popular, it spread.
And in the 1960s and 70s, it spread throughout the world.
Now you can get Hellman's mayo pretty much everywhere.
Wow, an American success story.
And speaking of those other parts of the world Mae, are any other countries as crazy about mayo as we are here in the US?
Oh, they sure are, trusty.
In fact, I would say parts of the world love mayo even more than we do.
Pop quiz time, Smarty Pants.
Which country is the only European country where people buy more mayonnaise than ketchup?
Is it Belgium, France, or Russia?
If you said Russia, you're right.
Gotta say, that kind of surprises me, Mae.
I've heard in France and Belgium, they put mayo on their fries the way we put ketchup on our fries.
That's true, trustee.
But one of the reasons Russia might be buying so much more mayo is because of their salads.
Salads?
How so?
Oh, easy.
Russian cuisine has several salads where mayonnaise is the star of the show.
There's the oliver salad, which is made using lots of different veggies, eggs, meat, and, yep, mayo.
That sounds...
Interesting.
Oh, trust me, trusty.
It is very yummy, if I do say so myself.
You have heard of Russian dressing, huh?
Also, made with mayo.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, and Russians don't skimp on the mayo either.
They've got a mayo-heavy dish called herring under a fur coat.
It's a layered salad with herring, potatoes...
Beets and eggs and... Let me guess.
Mayo.
Ding, ding, ding.
Of course.
There's another country that loves mayo so much.
They have a museum dedicated to mayonnaise.
A mayo museum?
Smarty Pants, which country do you think has a mayo museum?
Is it Japan, China, or South Korea?
The answer is... Japan!
And not only does Japan have a mayonnaise museum, they even have a mayonnaise holiday!
What?
A museum and a holiday?
I gotta see this.
Hang on.
Are we where I think we are?
Yep, I teleported us to Tokyo, Japan.
Now, where is this museum?
It's right in front of you.
Welcome to Mayo Terrace, a.k.a.
Tokyo's Museum of Mayonnaise.
I gotta say, it's beautiful.
I know, right?
Here you can tour the mayonnaise factory, sample some potato salad made with fresh mayo, of course and learn about the history of Japanese mayonnaise.
Is Japanese mayo different than other mayo?
Oh, it sure is.
Mayo Terrace is run by the Japanese mayonnaise brand Kewpie, which has a loyal following not just in Japan but around the world.
Many people are obsessed with Kewpie mayonnaise because of its very unique taste.
I see.
And what makes it taste so different?
Well, instead of using regular white vinegar, Kewpie Mayo uses a unique blend of rice vinegar and malt vinegar, giving it a unique tang.
Plus, they only use the egg yolks.
So it's a little more yellow in color.
Smarty Pants, true or false?
Kewpie Mayo uses 5% of all the eggs produced in Japan.
If you said true, you're wrong.
They actually use 10% of all the eggs produced in Japan.
As for the mayo holiday, Mayonnaise Day was first introduced in 2016.
In March, people all over the country celebrate mayo, as restaurants offer special mayo-centric dishes, which even include mayonnaise-based desserts.
Oh, sorry, Mae.
That may be where I draw the line.
I love mayo and all, but I don't want it on my ice cream.
But I do want it on my dry turkey sandwich, which is back in my kitchen.
Ah, there it is.
And it could use one more dab of mayo.
I'll just open the new jar in my pantry.
Or you could just give me one more squeeze.
You know, for old time's sake.
Aw, thanks, May.
A special shout out to Kai and Cooper from Pacifica California, who love Who Smarted because it's a fun way to learn and wanted to thank us for feeding their brains and making them laugh.
Well, I'm just glad your brains are so hungry for knowledge, smarty pants.
Thanks for smarting with us.
This episode Mayonnaise, was written by Phil Craftmayo-Jeremy and voiced by Kat Kewpie-Searle and Jerry Colbert.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hellmans-Hahn.
Our associate producer is Max Coleslaw-Kamasky.
The theme song is by Brian Shrimp Salad Suarez.
Lyrics were written and performed by Adam Deviled Eggs Davis.
Who Smarted? was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Kolber.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.
