When Koji Nakamura mixes up a
margarita cocktail, he adds a special ingredient -- mayonnaise.
"Mayogarita",
a white drink with a hint of the creamy dressing, is one of several cocktails
Nakamura serves in his "Mayonnaise Kitchen" restaurant in suburban
Despite its Western heritage,
mayonnaise has become the condiment of choice for many young Japanese, who add
it to everything from sushi, noodles and tempura.
While older Japanese might
gag at the thought of mayonnaise on rice or savory pancakes, the young are
slathering it on. They even have a name for mayo fanatics: "mayolers".
"People keep discovering
various ways to cook food with mayonnaise," Nakamura said. "If you
put it on raw tuna fish with red flesh, it tastes like medium-fatty tuna fish.
That kind of unpredictability makes it interesting and popular."
In 2006, Japanese consumed
1.65 kg (3.6 lb) of mayonnaise per person, down from a peak of 1.90 kg in 2000,
according to the Japan Mayonnaise and Dressing Makers' Association.
Nakamura's tiny restaurant,
with fewer than a dozen tables and decorated with cut-outs shaped like
mayonnaise bottles, also offers "Mayoty
Dog", which tastes like the vodka-based cocktail Salty Dog but is served in
a glass with mayonnaise on its rim instead of salt.
Patrons of the seven-year-old
restaurant can buy their own bottle of mayonnaise for 300 yen ($2.53) --
similar to bars that keep regular customers' bottles of whisky or sake.
"I know it's rich, but I like the taste," said 22-year-old
Mayumi Kameoka. "My friends and I used to put a
lot of mayonnaise on bite-sized fried chicken at our school
cafeteria."
Japanese mayonnaise, first
produced in 1925, is creamier and tangier than its Western counterpart, and
includes only egg yolks, not whites, with varying amounts of oil and vinegar to
alter the taste.
Manufacturers provide a
constant stream of recipes that involve the dressing, helping to make it a
staple in most Japanese refrigerators.
"It has a good
flavor," said Akira Omori, 32, who likes to put mayonnaise on dried squid
and other snacks.
Health-conscious Japanese
are, however, starting to eat less of the dressing, prompting manufacturers to
introduce low-calorie versions, including one that says it reduces cholesterol
levels.
Mayonnaise lovers also got
some bad news when No.1 Japanese mayonnaise maker Q.P. Corp's lifted prices in
June for the first time in 17 years due to higher vegetable oil prices.
Right now, though, Nakamura
of "Mayonnaise Kitchen" is more worried about a summer heat wave
seems to be dampening customers' appetites than the future. "I see people
going into a soba noodle shop downstairs. I can understand that," he said.
