3 Reasons An Authentic Provencal Aïoli SHOULD Be On Your Bucket List!
3 reasons Aioli should be on your bucket list
“Aïoli (garlic mayonnaise) epitomizes the heat, the power,and the joy of the Provençal sun, but it has another virtue - it drives away flies.”
As our friend and Provencal chef Mathias Dandine would tell you, “the key is to use seasonal and organic produce. When in season, I add artichokes, asparagus, leeks, celery, fennel and any great veggies that I find on the Gemenos market, near my restaurant”.
“Aioli intoxicates gently, fills the body with warmth, and the soul with enthusiasm. In its essence it concentrates the strength, the gaiety of Provence: sunshine.”
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The origin of this symbol of Provence dates back to ancient times, around 600 BC, in what is now Marseille. The Greek settlers coming from Phocaea (now Foça in Turkey) noticed that the local Gaul farmers would crush garlic and mix it with oil and egg yolk, creating a sort of paste and spreading it on their old bread to make it tastier. The Greeks loved it, and decided to supplement the sauce with vegetables and fish and served the sauce in a stone mortar. So the dish, aïoli, gets its name from the sauce that seasons everything on the plate. And now, a few thousand years later, it is still a tradition and the dish of choice for family meals and parties!
N°1: It’s easy and all the ingredients are accessible. All you need for the sauce is garlic, salt, egg yolks and olive oil! To make the famous aïoli sauce, crush the garlic (MINIMUM 4 cloves) in a stone mortar with a masher and add in a pinch of salt. Once it looks like paste, add 4 egg yolks, and then drizzle Provencal olive oil and whisk until it becomes a beautiful mayonnaise!
The next step is to gather seasonal vegetables. As part of an aïoli meal you will need carrots, potatoes, cod fish, boiled eggs, green beans and whelks, shrimp or mussels.
N°2: It’s healthy. The vegetables are cooked in water and the fish and seafood are poached. So apart from the olive oil in the sauce (which is the healthiest type of oil you can cook with), there is NO additional fat! You just need to season your cooked ingredients, and you are ready to dip away in the amazingly flavorful sauce.
N°3: It’s a social activity. “Our family meals, with my mom and my children, are very often accompanied by an aïoli”, says chef Dandine. Since there are many vegetables to peel and prepare, making the aïoli requires many hands! Everyone plays a part in the fun. And once everything is ready, add a glass of local rosé and enjoy!
