The Dilemma: Two thick white dressings with similar flavor in similar-looking jars are bearing down on you from your refrigerator, and you're asking yourself just one question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk?
People You Can Impress: deli-goers and anyone killing time in the checkout line.
The Quick Trick: Taste them both side by side. The sweeter one is Miracle Whip.
The Explanation: In 1756, the French under Louis François Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, duc de Richelieu, captured Mahón on the Spanish-held island of Minorca. In honor of this victory, the duc's chef created a new dressing for his master: Mahonnaise. It wasn't until 1905, however, at Richard Hellmann's New York deli, that Americans got to taste the goods. But boy, did it catch on! Within seven years, he'd mass-marketed the condiment as Hellmann's Blue Ribbon Mayonnaise.
To be frank, mayo is one of those love-it-or-hate-it things. The lovers know that, in its most authentic form, mayo's a pretty simple affair: raw egg yolks, oil, lemon juice or vinegar, and spices. Not much room for improvement.
But in 1933, Kraft Foods though differently. Inventor Charles Chapman's patented emulsifying machine allowed regular mayonnaise to be evenly blended with cheaper dressings and more than 20 different spices (plus sugar). The result was Miracle Whip, which debuted at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. Promising to create "Salad Miracles with Miracle Whip Salad Dressing," the Whip was an instant hit (Note: It's not known if the dressing is responsible for any non-salad-related miracles.)
The main difference between Miracle Whip and mayonnaise are the sweeteners: high-fructose corn syrup and sugar are the fourth and fifth ingredients, respectively, of Miracle Whip.
And a Word About Grey Poupon: While we're on the subject of condiments, we couldn't resist the opportunity to squeeze in a quick fact about mustard, or more specifically Grey Poupon. While it sounds hoity-toity, the name Grey Poupon isn't so much about the mustard's color as it is the names of two 18th-century big-time mustard firms from Dijon (run by guys cleverly named Maurice Grey and Antoine Poupon). The name can be a bit confusing, and even unappetizing, to French speakers, as poupon means "newborn baby."
__________
From the book: What's the Difference by mental_floss, published in Neatorama with permission. Please visit mental_floss' website and blog for more fun trivia!
And about the "Poupon" word, im french and it never occured to me before that it might have a french meaning. Now that you mentioned it I know but with the pronounciation of "Gray" before "Poupon" you just pronounce "Poupon" with the english accent and you forget the meaning of the word... for me anyway.
We dont say poupon often too...
If mayonnaise has 5 eggs and 1/3 cup of oil, the same volume of M.W. would have 3 eggs and 1/4 cup of oil + "thickener". Thickener is sweet. Nasty stuff on a sandwich, but possibly useful for salad dressings.
--TwoDragons
I only use mayo on sandwiches and miracle whip is only for tuna. You can't use them interchangeably! I've never understood why people do when I obviously taste them differently.
"Excitotoxins, the taste that kills" Read the book, save your life now because later when you are diagnosed, it's too late.
The best is to mix together Miracle Whip and ketchup to dip your french fries in :)
You should always try and stay away from HFCS, modified corn starch, artificial color, and sometimes natural flavor
As for the fat vs. less fat argument, miracle whip may have less fat than mayo per tablespoon, but it's got more sugar, sodium and carbohydrates.
Fact is, neither one is likely to kill you unless you're eating the stuff every single day and using tons of it. Moderation, people. Like anything else.
But there is a difference in the flavor and the people who can't taste it scare me.
EWWW!
Oh and it tastes like ass.
Miracle Whip in a landslide.
But depending on what *kind* of fat was used to make your mayo, you might burn some of it first. Coconut oil, for example, is reputed to be a form of dietary fat that does not readily get stored, but instead burns almost like a carbohydrate.
Here's an example recipe.
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2009/07/homemade-coconut-oil-mayonnaise.html
When my family was on welfare my mother tried to make me eat mayo/cheese sandwiches. I literally sat for HOURS at the table refusing to eat. Almost as bad is eggplant YECH!
North American food, especially American, relies heavily on corn products of all kinds - corn has been altered so much it is no longer its usual self. Fat in moderation is best - corn syrup and oil are to be avoided.