48oz_Duke's_Mayonnaise
If you've ever tuned in to Paula Deen (or spent any time at all with Cary McDowell of Winslow's Home) you know that Duke's Mayonnaise may be the most revered southern condiment since Tabasco sauce.
And starting this week, it's available at Schnucks.
The backstory: In Greenville, SC, during WW1, Eugenia Duke would slather her concoction on the sandwiches she made and sold to the soldiers at nearby Fort Sevier. Her business expanded (she wisely bought a delivery truck the day she sold 11,000 sandwiches) and requests for the recipe poured in. In 1929, she sold the rights to C.F. Sauer Company who still manufactures Duke's today, using the same family recipe.
So what's the big deal with Duke's? There are references--make that homages--to Duke's in early 20th century cookbooks, listing it as a vital ingredient in family soul food dishes. Apparently, it was the "utility mayo" of its time, as opposed to Hellmann's (developed in 1905), which was more expensive and considered "fancier."
McDowell confesses that, over the years, a lot of the mystique was nostalgic ("My grandma used Duke's, so I'm gonna use Duke's") and based on lack of availability ("like the early days of Lone Star and Coor's Beer"). But he still swears by it, and until the announcement this week, would special order cases at a time.
Oh, and the taste? I can only compare it to what I use, Hellmann's: it's creamier, silkier, and slightly more tangy (possibly because Hellmann's contains sugar and lemon juice while Duke's has no sugar and only uses cider vinegar for tang).
Will I have a new favorite mayo? Only one way to know for sure: dueling BLT's, tonight, using the last garden tomatoes of the season. -- George Mahe
