Oeuf Mayo Is The French Twist To Eating Hard-Boiled Eggs

French cuisine is renowned throughout the world for its use of simple yet elegant ingredients and its creative culinary techniques, but can it manage to elevate a dish of hard-boiled eggs and mayonnaise? That's the concept behind oeuf mayo (egg mayo) a traditional French bistro hors d'oeuvre consisting of halved hard-boiled eggs that are generously topped with mayo. And the success of the end product is all in the approach.

According to The New Yorker, if prepared correctly, factors such as the length of time cooking the egg and the mayo used all loom large. The richness and creaminess of the yolk is key. Once finished and ready for plating, the mayo should be applied over the entire egg. Similar to other delectable foods, it's the combination of the flavors and how they play off each other that creates the perfect oeuf mayo taste experience. Another bonus of eating oeuf mayo is the favorable price point. Even some fine dining restaurants in Paris charge as little as .90 euros for it.

While it may be cheap, oeuf mayo is taken very seriously in France. In the 1980s, oeuf mayo briefly fell out of favor with the public following concerns over the cholesterol content of eggs. Shortly thereafter, efforts were made to acknowledge its importance. Oeuf mayo is now such a revered classic among the French that there is a group called Association de Sauvegarde l'oeuf mayonnaise, or the Egg Mayo Protection Association, charged with safeguarding its sacred status in French food culture. The association also hosts an Oeuf Mayo World Championship, where chefs compete before an expert judging panel to create the best oeuf mayo. Competitors must adhere to rigid standards regarding ingredients and preparation.

Not everyone will have the opportunity to visit France and sample oeuf mayo at a French bistro or attend the national competition, but should you become inspired to tackle oeuf mayo at home, most online recipes recommend making your own mayonnaise for best results (the Oeuf Mayo World Championship requires homemade mayo). Mayo is one of those condiments that people either seem to love or hate, so the mere thought of it smeared over an egg may elicit a cringe from the mayo haters. Despite its vocal detractors though, mayo was the top-selling condiment in the U.S. in 2021, with an estimated $164 million in sales. So there are certainly plenty of mayo advocates out there who might be interested in concocting their own mayo recipe and giving oeuf mayo a try.